Relatives coming from other places, even Madras (as Chennai was known then,) would comment on the blistering heat in Neyveli. But, as kids, who grew up with it, we didn't know any better. I don't ever recall knowing the temperature outside because it really didn't matter. I biked and played under the hot sun. Sometimes, I sat under the trees to read or do nothing during those hot, hot days.
Most summers were at grandmothers' places--Sengottai and Pattamadai. The hills and greenery made Sengottai a tad less hot than Pattamadai, but not by much. Every time we returned to Neyveli, dad's first few comments were about how much darker we had become.
Most summers were at grandmothers' places--Sengottai and Pattamadai. The hills and greenery made Sengottai a tad less hot than Pattamadai, but not by much. Every time we returned to Neyveli, dad's first few comments were about how much darker we had become.
With every passing year, my grandmothers and aunts kept commenting that I was getting darker and darker. And leaner. I suppose I was most lovable only as the chubby kid that I once was ;) Of course, I was getting more and more tanned--who wouldn't when out in the sun!
Those were the days when there was no air conditioning. Having a ceiling fan in every room, as we did, was a luxury for most. To most of us, going to an air conditioned movie hall was a thrill. But, even this enjoyment was only during any visit to Madras--the only movie hall in Neyveli was not air conditioned. Madras even had air conditioned restaurants!
Air conditioning has dramatically changed our relationship with heat. With global warming, even in the mild and temperate Pacific Northwest, we need air conditioning. The American South, with its heat and humidity that made living there quite a hassle, might not have experienced the rapid growth in the post-WWII decades if it were not for air conditioning. As the Economist pointed out a few years ago, "the South became suddenly more comfortable to live and work in." Who would otherwise live and work in places like Houston and Phoenix and Tampa!
Those were the days when there was no air conditioning. Having a ceiling fan in every room, as we did, was a luxury for most. To most of us, going to an air conditioned movie hall was a thrill. But, even this enjoyment was only during any visit to Madras--the only movie hall in Neyveli was not air conditioned. Madras even had air conditioned restaurants!
Air conditioning has dramatically changed our relationship with heat. With global warming, even in the mild and temperate Pacific Northwest, we need air conditioning. The American South, with its heat and humidity that made living there quite a hassle, might not have experienced the rapid growth in the post-WWII decades if it were not for air conditioning. As the Economist pointed out a few years ago, "the South became suddenly more comfortable to live and work in." Who would otherwise live and work in places like Houston and Phoenix and Tampa!
When I lived in the hot and dusty southern San Joaquin Valley, I would get discouraged with the blasting summer heat. My consolation was to look up the temperature in Phoenix and tell myself, "at least I don't live in Phoenix." I simply cannot imagine living in a place where some nights the temperature could hover above 100 degrees even close to midnight.
The friends and relatives who live in the Persian Gulf countries know the heat all too well. It is always interesting to hear them complain about the heat in Chennai though. But, they do have a point: while working and living as professionals in the Middle East, they rarely step outside the climate-controlled environments. "We go from air-conditioned homes, by air-conditioned cars, to air-conditioned offices or malls" is their typical explanation. As a result of our privileged past, my people are not the worker bees out in the desert sun, for whom life is harsh as laborers at construction sites. The cheap and exploited labor makes possible those air conditioned homes and offices and malls.
The friends and relatives who live in the Persian Gulf countries know the heat all too well. It is always interesting to hear them complain about the heat in Chennai though. But, they do have a point: while working and living as professionals in the Middle East, they rarely step outside the climate-controlled environments. "We go from air-conditioned homes, by air-conditioned cars, to air-conditioned offices or malls" is their typical explanation. As a result of our privileged past, my people are not the worker bees out in the desert sun, for whom life is harsh as laborers at construction sites. The cheap and exploited labor makes possible those air conditioned homes and offices and malls.
And now we experience extreme heat everywhere on the planet, for which the old ceiling fans will not suffice. Access to air conditioning is rapidly becoming a critical public health issue. The world already uses plenty of air conditioning:
There are now roughly 2 billion air conditioners in use around the world today, with half of those units in the US and China alone. Cooling systems like ACs, fans, and ventilation account for about 20 percent of energy use in buildings globally, according to the International Energy Agency. That adds up to two-and-a-half times as much electricity consumed globally for cooling as the entire continent of Africa uses.
It doesn't take a climate scientist to compute that this energy consumption will add to the climate crisis story. A crisis in a world that is far from equal, as this comparison reminds us: "The U.S. uses almost as much energy for cooling as the 1.2 billion people of Africa use for everything all year."
The acceleration in warming along with increases in per capita incomes around the world mean that there will be a mega demand for air conditioning in the years ahead. But we can't air condition our way through the climate crisis, right?
Don't you think we need better political leaders than the ones we have now, so that we can collectively commit our resources to address the climate emergency?
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