88
Swamp Coolers’ Ability to Beat the Heat is Evaporating in Record Southwestern [US] Temperatures
(insideclimatenews.org)
Discussion of climate, how it is changing, activism around that, the politics, and the energy systems change we need in order to stabilize things.
As a starting point, the burning of fossil fuels, and to a lesser extent deforestation and release of methane are responsible for the warming in recent decades:
How much each change to the atmosphere has warmed the world:
Recommended actions to cut greenhouse gas emissions in the near future:
Anti-science, inactivism, and unsupported conspiracy theories are not ok here.
Swamp coolers suck, they don't work on humid days, they make any paper in your house damp and damage books, the pads will get moldy and you'll be breathing in that mold blowing directly into your house along with its smell and to even get any use out of them they have to be moving a ton of air so your whole house is a wind tunnel when it's on. My first summer living in NM we had one, my dad pulled it and installed a real air conditioner shortly after.
2/10 wouldn't recommend
But they’ve been used for decades effectively at a fraction of the energy use vs air conditioning. The problem is climate change pushing temps above their operating range. Do you think burning more coal so your paper stays rigid is the pragmatic solution for society?
Arguably it'd be better to use air conditioners as long as that energy is from renewables such as solar (where the southwest is particularly suited) to help save water, which is in critically short supply in those areas.
True, if you had AC units powered solely by on-site solar and if they never operated powered by the grid (so never at night) you could potentially save water. But any grid electricity comes with exponentially more water use so realistically that will never happen.
I don't think we should continue burning any fossil fuels but that's not what I was talking about. I was making a personal testimony on why I dislike swamp coolers.