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I think this whole question is naive and simplistic. Its unlikely we'll see straightforward trends like "less deaths from cold" (ignoring that such a concept is

I think this whole question is naive and simplistic. Its unlikely we'll see straightforward trends like "less deaths from cold" (ignoring that such a concept is ill-defined and inconsistent in the literature the author reviewed); climate is a complex system and heat should really be thought of as energy -- not so much ambient temperature -- in this context. To boot, "excess deaths" is a pretty nebulous topic and once you start analyzing differences between regions using their political borders (comparative politics), you're only making the concept more abstract. Just as an example of what I mean by this: something not analyzed herein was demographic differences between regions. What is the median age of populace in Nigeria vs. Greenland? Just citing this as an example -- my point is really that the variations between a Scandinavian region and equatorial one could really exceed the scope of any topical research.

firebaze 5y ago
I'm not sure if you've read TFA, but calling it simplistic is a bit ... simplistic. The question raised is valid: do we suffer more with a colder climate, or a warmer one, and where are the boundaries, and how far does our understanding reach. Also, there are no answers, just (intellectually challenging) questions.
- jnmandal 5y ago
  Not sure what is TFA. > The question raised is valid: do we suffer more with a colder climate, or a warmer one, and where are the boundaries, and how far does our understanding reach That was definitely not the question being addressed here. The question was much more specific (which is good, but I still maintain it was not specific enough); it was basically: "will fewer people die of cold?". Which is a simplistic question mainly because: what does it even mean to "die of cold?" The author never defines that but seems to imply that he thinks its "any deaths above the full yaer average level of death during the winter." Meanwhile, he was comparing disparate regions, some of which don't even have winters. Again, I would argue the whole piece revolves around extremely simplistic thinking about a complex issue.

firebaze 5y ago

I'm not sure if you've read TFA, but calling it simplistic is a bit ... simplistic. The question raised is valid: do we suffer more with a colder climate, or a warmer one, and where are the boundaries, and how far does our understanding reach. Also, there are no answers, just (intellectually challenging) questions.

jnmandal 5y ago
Not sure what is TFA. > The question raised is valid: do we suffer more with a colder climate, or a warmer one, and where are the boundaries, and how far does our understanding reach That was definitely not the question being addressed here. The question was much more specific (which is good, but I still maintain it was not specific enough); it was basically: "will fewer people die of cold?". Which is a simplistic question mainly because: what does it even mean to "die of cold?" The author never defines that but seems to imply that he thinks its "any deaths above the full yaer average level of death during the winter." Meanwhile, he was comparing disparate regions, some of which don't even have winters. Again, I would argue the whole piece revolves around extremely simplistic thinking about a complex issue.