I don't understand this article.
Europe is usually not this hot, hence lack of AC in many places. Floods and earthquakes are also uncommon, hence the buildings in most places are not up to code against, say, Japanese standards.
Europe is usually not this hot, hence lack of AC in many places. Floods and earthquakes are also uncommon, hence the buildings in most places are not up to code against, say, Japanese standards.
Europe averages 53k to 175k heat-related deaths per year. The difference depends on whether you listen to the EC or the UN. https://news.un.org/en/story/2024/08/1152766
The comparable number for the US is 4-11k, albeit with about 20% fewer people.
Note that the US is further south than Europe and generally has higher temperatures.
Keeping out of the heat: Avoid going out and undertaking strenuous activities when the sun’s at its hottest. Stay in the shade and do not leave children or animals in parked vehicles. If necessary and possible, spend two to three hours in a cool place, such as a supermarket or cinema
Most upper latitude European homes have been designed for mid-century cool(er) climates. They are extremely efficient at trapping and holding on to heat. Go look at any sub-reddit for central European cities over the past few days and you'll find multiple reports of 35+C conditions inside homes.
Furthermore, you can find plenty of examples over the past week in those same cities of supermarket and cinema ACs in total failure modes. Not to mention most supermarkets are closed on Sundays.
One real problem outside of the home is that there have been plenty of reported cases of drowning. Unclear if this is just statistical with the mobs of people (some of whom cannot swim, or swim well) who are forced to leave their homes to find relief.
> So the death rate from heat in Europe is almost twice the death rate from guns in America. If you think guns are an emergency in the U.S., you should think that heat in Europe is an even bigger emergency.
Furthermore, the costs of modern cooling are infinitely cheaper than solutions, if they exist, for other natural disasters.
I lived in both Europe and the United States and traveled around the world. This article makes a lot of sense to me.
it's interesting that Americans take such an "I told you so" attitude towards disasters they had such a disproportionate hand in creating.
Are you sure? It's about the only place in the world where the philosophy of degrowth ever managed to get a toehold (Amsterdam, Grenoble, Copenhagen, Barcelona and some other bits of Spain).
> it's interesting that Americans take such an "I told you so" attitude towards disasters they had such a disproportionate hand in creating.
I think you're attributing smugness and "I told you so" attitudes to text that lacks it, just like I'm attributing a posh British lord's accent to your text. Good day to you sir!
Yes, I'm sure. I think you might be confusing something some obscure academics have discussed and something the politicians with actual power in Europe have acted upon.
Europe historically has not been this hot, but they regularly have heat waves. I remember a 40C heat wave more than a decade ago! That's enough time to add emergency infrastructure, unless you're hoping to snuff old people. When you get your third hundred year flood in a decade it's time to update your priors.