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  #1  
Old Posted Oct 17, 2019, 6:12 PM
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Facing unbearable heat, Qatar has begun to air-condition the outdoors

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By Steven Mufson
Photos by Salwan Georges
OCT. 16, 2019

DOHA, Qatar —

. . . .Already one of the hottest places on Earth, Qatar has seen average temperatures rise more than 2 degrees Celsius above preindustrial times . . . .

Over the past three decades, temperature increases in Qatar have been accelerating. That’s because of the uneven nature of climate change as well as the surge in construction that drives local climate conditions around Doha, the capital. The temperatures are also rising because Qatar, slightly smaller than Connecticut, juts out from Saudi Arabia into the rapidly warming waters of the Persian Gulf.

In a July 2010 heat wave, the temperature hit an all-time high of 50.4 degrees Celsius . . . .

To survive the summer heat, Qatar not only air-conditions its soccer stadiums, but also the outdoors — in markets, along sidewalks, even at outdoor malls so people can window shop with a cool breeze . . . .

Yet outdoor air conditioning is part of a vicious cycle. Carbon emissions create global warming, which creates the desire for air conditioning, which creates the need for burning fuels that emit more carbon dioxide. In Qatar, total cooling capacity is expected to nearly double from 2016 to 2030, according to the International District Cooling & Heating Conference . . . .

Qatar has maintained outdoor life through a vast expansion of outdoor air conditioning. In the restored Souq Waqif market, a maze of shops, restaurants and small hotels, three- to four-foot-high air-conditioning units blow cool air onto cafe customers. At a cost of $80 to $250 each depending on the quality, they are the only things that make outdoor dining possible in a place where overnight low temperatures in summer rarely dip below 90 degrees.

Recently, the luxury French department store Galeries Lafayette opened in a shopping mall that features stylish air-conditioning grates in the broad cobblestone walkways outside. Each of the vents, about 1 by 6 feet, has a decorative design. Many of them hug the outside of buildings, cooling off window shoppers looking at expensive fashions. Though nearly deserted in the heat, by 5 p.m. some people begin to emerge to sit outside places like Cafe Pouchkine . . . .

(For many of the attempts at outdoor cooling) the design still needs work. The solar panels don’t provide enough power to run the cooling system . . . .
https://www.washingtonpost.com/graph...ning-outdoors/
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  #2  
Old Posted Oct 17, 2019, 6:14 PM
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Let’s burn this place up!
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  #3  
Old Posted Oct 17, 2019, 9:25 PM
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I'm surprised they don't just cover and enclose more of the streets if they want to keep them cool.
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Old Posted Oct 17, 2019, 9:40 PM
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Do they not know how air conditioning works?
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Old Posted Oct 17, 2019, 10:02 PM
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Definitely no need for outdoor a/c here in the UK, no need for it indoors in homes either in most cases.

We do sometimes have outdoor heating though which is probably just as wasteful of energy and makes Greta Thunberg's blood boil.

This kind of thing you will see at bars or private houses sometimes to heat up the outdoor air.

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Old Posted Oct 17, 2019, 10:17 PM
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Originally Posted by Jonesy55 View Post
Definitely no need for outdoor a/c here in the UK, no need for it indoors in homes either in most cases.

We do sometimes have outdoor heating though which is probably just as wasteful of energy and makes Greta Thunberg's blood boil.

This kind of thing you will see at bars or private houses sometimes to heat up the outdoor air.

I am extremely skeptical that heat lamps are as wasteful as outdoor a/c would be.
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Old Posted Oct 18, 2019, 12:27 AM
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Maybe they should try underground cities.
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Old Posted Oct 18, 2019, 8:05 AM
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They should go with swamp coolers instead. That's what they do in some places in Shanghai during the summer, and it's quite effective - and far less wasteful than outdoor A/C.
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Old Posted Oct 18, 2019, 1:12 PM
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Originally Posted by The Chemist View Post
They should go with swamp coolers instead. That's what they do in some places in Shanghai during the summer, and it's quite effective - and far less wasteful than outdoor A/C.
I don't think it would work there. The average dew point in Doha July - October is over 70 degrees.

To compare, in Phoenix, swamp coolers and misters aren't too effective July - August when the average dew point temperature is 55 degrees.

Doha dew points:
http://qatar.climatemps.com/humidity.php

Phoenix dew points:
http://www.tiggrweather.net/wxdewpointdetail.php
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Old Posted Oct 18, 2019, 1:23 PM
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Originally Posted by iheartthed View Post
I am extremely skeptical that heat lamps are as wasteful as outdoor a/c would be.
A heat lamp works on the same principal as building a fire. It emits radiation in the form of heat. It’s not the equal and opposite to an air conditioner blowing air.
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Old Posted Oct 18, 2019, 1:26 PM
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Almost feels like they’re intentionally making the issue worse...
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  #12  
Old Posted Oct 18, 2019, 5:01 PM
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Eventually it will just become too hot to live in places like Qatar. Climate change is going to cause a whole lot of refugees sooner or later...
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  #13  
Old Posted Oct 18, 2019, 6:03 PM
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in california they use high pressure misting systems for eating outdoors over in la quinta.

that place is hotter then California? why do people live there? ya put the city underground then.
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  #14  
Old Posted Oct 18, 2019, 8:53 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by The Chemist View Post
They should go with swamp coolers instead. That's what they do in some places in Shanghai during the summer, and it's quite effective - and far less wasteful than outdoor A/C.
I wouldn't have expected swamp coolers to work in Shanghai due to the humidity. They work great in places like Utah and New Mexico. Cool air dropping from the ceiling has a very pleasant feel.
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Old Posted Oct 18, 2019, 8:55 PM
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So Qatar will catch up the Vegas Strip.
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Old Posted Oct 18, 2019, 8:57 PM
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Originally Posted by iheartthed View Post
I am extremely skeptical that heat lamps are as wasteful as outdoor a/c would be.
A patio heater is direct combustion. AC is far less efficient as it uses combustion to turn generators to create electricity which then powers mechanical cooling units.
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Old Posted Oct 18, 2019, 8:58 PM
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Originally Posted by edale View Post
Eventually it will just become too hot to live in places like Qatar. Climate change is going to cause a whole lot of refugees sooner or later...
It’s already too hot to live in places like Qatar. You couldn’t pay me enough money...
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  #18  
Old Posted Oct 19, 2019, 1:55 AM
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Originally Posted by edale View Post
Eventually it will just become too hot to live in places like Qatar. Climate change is going to cause a whole lot of refugees sooner or later...
That's why we have Canada. Lots of land up there that is currently uninhabitable because it's too damn cold.
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  #19  
Old Posted Oct 19, 2019, 3:05 AM
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That's why we have Canada. Lots of land up there that is currently uninhabitable because it's too damn cold.
Sorry, we're all full up.
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  #20  
Old Posted Oct 19, 2019, 4:20 AM
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Canada feels about as full as the U.S. Canada is really more like Chile, in terms of human settlement. It's as urbanized as the U.S., and the cities are generally built tighter.

I mean, yeah, 90% of Canada is empty, but those areas generally have little purpose outside of resource extraction. If you added 100 million people to Canada I doubt the geographic scope of settlement would change much; it would still be "Chile".
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