I know very little about this subject. I had someone I know tell me a few months ago that for socialism to be sustainable, and to solve the climate crisis, U.S.ians are going to need to give up almost all A/C. They pointed out the fact that Amerikans are crybabies and even most of Western Europe does not use A/C.
However, with Greece and Spain recently having caught on fire and with heat waves devouring the nations, as well as stories regarding people in hotter regions in the U.S. dying from heat stroke in their own homes because they couldn’t afford their electricity bills, this read as sort of Maoist-lite, petty-bourgeois radicalism to me shifting blame on individuals when there are so many systemic industries contributing astronomically to the worsening climate. I was wondering, is A/C usage so detrimental as to necessitate its destruction? Should not the focus be on larger, more destructive industries and actually increasing the availability and affordability of A/C to hotter regions? Should scientific focus be moreso on creating a green A/C?
Like I said, almost no knowledge. Feel free to roast my ass (pun slightly intended).
IMO the kind of rhetoric of the “comrade” is that of someone who lacks materialist analysis for the hills they choose to die on. Americans have HVAC because the US is hot, surprisingly. So hot it’s dangerous to be without some form of cooling, and with temperatures rising it’s only getting more dangerous.
There are many alternatives to the power-hungry HVAC units we use, like using the earth’s natural temperature to cool the coolant, thus reducing the inefficiency of current technology. But really, the best solution is simply renewable energy. HVAC units are only a problem to the environment because of their power draw, and that power draw is only an issue because of how electricity is generated. If we simply shift over to solar, wind, hydroelectric, and nuclear power - instead of the coal and fossil fuel plants that an uncomfortable amount of the country uses - much of the issue would be avoided.
Is housing perhaps another issue? With modern, multi-storied apartment buildings you can likely organize heat insulation effectively, lowering the need for active AC.
I agree. I had interpersonal issues with this individual that sort of led to the death of our friendship, but I also noticed our politics were beginning to diverge pretty dramatically as well, with me becoming more of a hardline Marxist-Leninist and them becoming more eclectic. I think the personal issues have maybe forbade me from interacting non-awkwardly with local organizers as well… so that sucks lol. Thanks for the points you’ve laid out though, comrade.