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Chasing Our Tails

Oct 06, 2015
by Caroline Miller
air conditioning and a warming environment, Chilling Effect, cooling without air conditioning, Maddie Oatman, rise of middle class demands in China and India for cooling
2 Comments

Before I moved to the retirement center, I lived in a 1896 clapboard Victorian home with no central heating or air conditioning. In the winter, I kept warm by using electric wall heaters and in summer, I turned on overhead fans. The system met my needs on most days, but when summer heat hovered above 90 degrees, life could get uncomfortable. My new residence comes with air conditioning, which helped me survive our warm summer, but I little realized that in using it, I was contributing to climate change.

In “Chilling Effect,” Maddie Oatman writes that “waste heat from air conditioners can actually raise the outdoor temperature – thus creating even more demand for air conditioning. “ (Mother Jones, September/October, 2015, pg. 67.) Increased demand means energy shortages, price spikes and pollution. Each year we spend $11 billion for cooling and as a result, we release about 100 million tons of carbon dioxide into the air, the equivalent of 19 million cars. (Ibid, pg 66.)

Pollution is likely to get worse because a rising middle class in China and India will want the creature comforts we enjoy in the west. The consequence will be to speed up global warming. Attempting to squelch cooling devices around the globe is foolhardy and inhumane. Children, the infirm and frail elderly are the first to succumb in a heat wave.

Fortunately, planners are thinking ahead. Japan is testing “water retentive pavements, which absorb and then evaporate moisture to cool the streets.” (Ibid pg. 67.) Florida, California and Georgia have issued guidelines for new commercial construction which require light-colored structures, reflecting devices and foliage to provide shade.

Thinking about next summer, homeowners should consider insulating their homes. Ceiling fans can be effective and cost about 30 cents a month when run 8 hours a day. (Ibid pg. 67) Turning the thermostat to 78, will save money and the environment, too. One report from Phoenix showed that outside temperatures can increase by 2 degrees in summer when we use air conditioners. If we don’t get efficient, cooling inside air at the expense of the environment will leave us spinning like a dog chasing its tail.

dog chasing its tail

Courtesy of gwmnate.blogspot.com

2 Comments
  1. Pamela October 18, 2015 at 12:22 am Reply
    Even here in a very hot, inland exurb of Southern California, my thermostat is rarely under 83 degrees. A few years back I could tolerate 84 degrees, but I'm getting a little more heat sensitive as I age. Overhead fans (as well as whole house fans) are wonderful alternatives, as are cooling towels (you can get at Bed, Bath and Beyond), and homes designed to have natural shade--very rare in most of newly-built So CA. I did not realize the breadth of the carbon dioxide dump of cooling.
    • Caroline Miller October 18, 2015 at 8:33 am Reply
      Sadly, every pleasure has its price, Pamela.

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Contact Caroline at

carolinemiller11@yahoo.com

Portland, Oregon author Caroline Miller had distinguished careers as an educator, union president, elected official and artist/advocate.

Her play, Woman on the Scarlet Beast, was performed at the Post5 Theatre, Portland, OR, January/February 2015

Caroline published a serialized novelette, Marie Eau-Claire, on the website, The Colored Lens.  She also published the story Gustav Pavel,  a parable about ordinary lives, choice and alternate potential, on the website Fixional.co.

Caroline has published four novels

  • Ballet Noir
  • Trompe l’Oeil
  • Gothic Spring
  • Heart Land

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