[ExI] benefits of climate change

[Keith Henson]

On Sun, Aug 9, 2026 at 6:15 PM <spike at rainier66.com> wrote:

>
> I found some data saying the heat deaths in EU topped 10k.  Still fewer
> than cold related fatalities by a factor of about 30, but bad just the same.
>

Extreme heat has caused more than 25,000 excess deaths across Europe this
season as repeated heat waves sweep the continent. Germany leads the region
with roughly 11,900 heat-linked fatalities, while additional casualties are
reported across Spain, France, the U.K., Switzerland, and the Netherlands. [
1
<https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2026-08-07/heat-deaths-top-25-000-in-europe-as-scorching-weather-persists>
]LA Times

BBC  Cold is currently a far greater threat to human health than heat,
though scientists project
<https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/jan/27/dangerous-temperatures-kill-50-percent-more-europeans-end-century-climate>
that relationship will flip as global heating pushes temperatures higher.
Last month, scientists found
<https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/apr/29/nordic-extreme-heat-environment-europe-report>
temperatures in Europe have risen by 0.56C per decade since the mid-1990s –
faster than any other continent on the planet – owing to the blanket of
fossil fuel pollution covering the Earth.

>
>
> Regarding the idea of desalinating sea water for cooling powerplants, a
> new paradigm will make a lot of those kinds of ideas plausible.  Before
> power-hungry AI, feasibility studies were based on the price and
> marketability of power.  Out along the California Nevada stateline, there
> is not much existing market for electric power.  This makes desalinating
> seawater a no-go.
>
>
>
> But… AI needs power, and out along that stateline is the most plausible
> location for it.  The way the rules are shaping up, the data centers are
> not allowed to use local grid power, but are welcome to generate their
> own.  Given that, and the demand for AI power now, we can imagine the value
> of that power at two bucks a kWh.  If power is worth that damn much, a
> lotta formerly stupid ideas become feasible and smart.
>

At two bucks a kWh, AI becomes stupid. I venture to say that the power AI
is using today is not much more than 5 cents a kWh. Look up the cost of
natural gas generation.

If you need to cool AI data centers, use ocean water.

Keith

>
>
> spike
>
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