Sometimes comedians come too close to the truth. There are people who, it seems, truly thinks that the “solution” for climate change is something like Futurama’s ice cubes into the sea …



Absurd, no?

Well aligned with what climate science tells us will be happening with increasing frequency, there are a number of regions that have been going through seriously scary heat waves. Forget “scary”, how about seriously deadly?

The death toll from a weeklong heat wave in Karachi, Pakistan, has risen to 1,233, officials told the Associated Press Saturday. Some 65,000 people flooded the city’s hospitals to be treated for heat stroke, and about 1,900 patients were still receiving medical care as the country began to cool off.

…

… temperatures climbing to 113 degrees Fahrenheit

And, Pakistan is not along with extreme heat …

To this, Judith Curry has a rather straightforward (Futurama-ish?) response:

Looks like they need more air conditioning in Spain and France and also South Asia. [and the western United States …] Does it make more sense to provide air conditioning or to limit CO2 emissions. I vote for more air conditioning in these susceptible regions.

While good, perhaps, for HVAC manufacturers, this ‘solution’ for a climate-change driven trend for more and worsened heat waves is like dropping ice cubes into the ocean …

And, like dropping ice cubes into the ocean, there are just a few complexities to consider …

Karachi’s power grid also collapsed, leaving thousands without air conditioning in a city already facing power cuts and water shortages.

So, the answer to ever-worsening heat waves should be increasing energy demands … often in areas with poor to utterly inadequate energy services.

Too many climate disinformers/delayers engage in a related sleight of hand: they decry “Energy Poverty” as part of a subterfuge effort to support increased global reliance on and use of polluting fossil fuels (primarily in support of burning coal). “Energy Poverty” is a real thing — but the solution set(s) are to be found elsewhere than promoting the burning of coal.

In any event, welcome to today’s Futurama episode courtesy of Judith ‘Marie Antoinette’ Curry:

Let them buy air conditioners.

Yup, let’s tell people, businesses, countries

to buy air conditioners

to keep people cool in ever-worsening heat waves as a path

to worsen energy poverty challenges and

to worsen our climate change challenges.

It does sound like something more suitable for a comedy show than serious intellectual dialogue.

UPDATE NOTE: For a more serious response as to why the actual response is more complicated — and actually can include some additional air conditioning — see Mitigation + Adaptation required re #climate: heat waves require clean energy + a/c …

UPDATE: For those interested in exploring Judith Curry’s “science”, here are a few relevant discussions: