this post was submitted on 11 Jul 2023
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Science

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60,000 People Died from Blistering European Heat Waves, New Analysis Finds (www.scientificamerican.com)
submitted 1 year ago by RickRussell_CA@beehaw.org to c/science@beehaw.org
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Excerpt:

More than 61,000 people died because of Europe’s record-shattering heat wave last summer, scientists have concluded. And that’s probably still an underestimation.

The figure is just shy of the 70,000 excess deaths researchers attribute to another exceptional heat wave that swept Europe in 2003. That disaster helped raise awareness about the dangers of climate change and the continent’s general lack of heat action plans.

Yet the new findings suggest that in the two decades since, efforts to prepare for a hotter future and protect the continent’s most vulnerable populations have fallen short.

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[–] fuser@quex.cc 5 points 1 year ago (2 children)

https://unusualplaces.org/the-underground-town-of-coober-pedy/

A standard three-bedroom cave home with living room, kitchen, and bathroom can be excavated out of the rock in the hillside for a similar price to building a house on the surface. However, dugouts remain at a constant temperature, while surface buildings need expensive air-conditioning.

[–] Adramis@beehaw.org 4 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

This would be so cool, but it seems like it would only be possible in some places. Pretty much my entire state wouldn't be able to do this due to a combination of limestone letting water through and ungodly amounts of radon.

Also the no-sun depression would be absolute hell unless special attention was paid to it.

[–] yenahmik@beehaw.org 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Earthship homes are also an alternative that are pretty decent at remaining a stable temperature. Plus, I think they look pretty cool!

[–] realChem@beehaw.org 4 points 1 year ago

There's also a lot that you can do within the bounds of more traditional architecture to control heat movement, and which are easy to retrofit onto existing homes. For example, there's the extremely rad sounding thermal labyrinth, and also lots of things without rad names like planting trees where they'll shade your building or painting your roof white. It's frankly kinda astonishing how much you can reduce your heating and cooling requirements with simple and (relatively) low cost changes like those.