France logged around 1,000 heat deaths while a cheap air conditioner stays banned by facade rules. The same reflex stopped Europe building anything new.
Electricity prices here, in Hungary, are 'fake'. The previous party created a rule that allows residential users to buy electricity on this price for a given yearly amount. Over that you pay the market price. Commercial users pay the market price. Market price is around the double of the residential price.
We also have an excemption from the EU, so we can buy russian gas. The price of the gas is also fixed for the residential users. However this rule does not help a lot. It just kills utility companies' profitability and the utility grid is slowly degrading. There are also still poor regions in the country where people die of heatwave or freeze to death in their own property.
There is too much regulatory capture at all levels and too much focus on preserving the past and not enough on building the future. In fact I'd go as far as because Europe allowed their ability to build things to be hollowed out by the interests of capital, they've forgotten how to build anything of scale.
The USA isn't far behind on the curve. The USA outsourced most of their capabilities so now find themselves with nothing to work with. A lot of cities are simply not designed for the climate they now find themselves in and don't have the money to make improvements with property tax not bringing enough revenue to keep the current infrastructure maintained let alone build new stuff. No to mention the rampant NIMBYism in most cities.
Also lot of housing was built quickly post WW2 and was never expected to still be standing 80 years later. Modern building code means that something a simple as replacing a broken water heater or replacing a cooker can turn into a $$$ remodel when the inspector notices your electrical panel isn't to code or your gas line is in the wrong place.
Governments at all levels still haven't learned what good software engineers learned a long time, that the bulk of the work (and the cost) is always in the maintenance phase and the more you build the more you have to maintain and the system is just not setup to handle that.
Sharp, the maintenance point nails it. And the ugly truth underneath, the only thing that shields you from a broken state is cash. Enough of it and you stop caring how incompetent the government is, you just pay around every hole they leave. Which means resilience is a luxury good now.
Thanks man. It hurts to watch Europe burn that many resources on nothing. And that last line is the whole problem, asking the state to fix it is how you get another twenty years of waiting. I get why you left.
Nice city, Phoenix. But nobody dares pick up a dropped coin in daylight, given how quickly metal heats in contact with semi-melted asphalt. Severe burns requiring skin grafts occur every summer. Water shortages. Dead elders. Plastics on verge of dribbling like the wax off a lit candle. Fumes rising off asphalt, mildly toxic and potentially flammable. Pets collapsing and provided “final mercy”.
Watching how Europe adapts, I think old people will still be dying of the heat here in 2036, same as now. At least you have AC. Honestly, looking at every system as a mechanism, through an engineer's eyes, is a curse. I'd give it up gladly if I could.
not all New Yorkers have AC and many of those who do often have to make choices of running it or not due to budget
there is an increasing number of older NYCers who find it necessary to exploit public libraries for free cooling and free wifi in summer, then go home to only run AC when sleeping
yet others in much worse situations
personally, I find sleeping with AC make my lungs itch… not the unit… this one is only 7Y old and therefore in good condition…
ugly thing for all NYC residents is lack of drinking water unless buying overpriced bottled water or too sweet soda
I have been carrying around two one liter bottles daily since the start of June and expect to do so till September… if it get bad next week it will be three one liter bottles
my prediction is this will become another change, another new normal, being a minor hassle but as well moderate extra exercise carrying 3 KG extra payload
Same here, tap water was never drinkable my whole life. As a kid I queued for it from a water truck, then bought the 20-liter cooler bottles, now I run a filter. And Trump spends millions on a pool while Musk clears a trillion. Wild world. At least I understand why it happens in my country.
NYC tapwater is regarded as oft times better than bottled water
but restaurants are increasingly trying to force customers an 'upsell' towards soda or beer or bottled water since those are profitable given the mark ups whereas serving tap water does nothing useful in sales
Great article, as always! Some notes:
Electricity prices here, in Hungary, are 'fake'. The previous party created a rule that allows residential users to buy electricity on this price for a given yearly amount. Over that you pay the market price. Commercial users pay the market price. Market price is around the double of the residential price.
We also have an excemption from the EU, so we can buy russian gas. The price of the gas is also fixed for the residential users. However this rule does not help a lot. It just kills utility companies' profitability and the utility grid is slowly degrading. There are also still poor regions in the country where people die of heatwave or freeze to death in their own property.
Glad Orban's finally out, now you've got a shot at actually building something without that corrupt leech draining it.
A totally fair critique of Europe (and the UK).
There is too much regulatory capture at all levels and too much focus on preserving the past and not enough on building the future. In fact I'd go as far as because Europe allowed their ability to build things to be hollowed out by the interests of capital, they've forgotten how to build anything of scale.
The USA isn't far behind on the curve. The USA outsourced most of their capabilities so now find themselves with nothing to work with. A lot of cities are simply not designed for the climate they now find themselves in and don't have the money to make improvements with property tax not bringing enough revenue to keep the current infrastructure maintained let alone build new stuff. No to mention the rampant NIMBYism in most cities.
Also lot of housing was built quickly post WW2 and was never expected to still be standing 80 years later. Modern building code means that something a simple as replacing a broken water heater or replacing a cooker can turn into a $$$ remodel when the inspector notices your electrical panel isn't to code or your gas line is in the wrong place.
Governments at all levels still haven't learned what good software engineers learned a long time, that the bulk of the work (and the cost) is always in the maintenance phase and the more you build the more you have to maintain and the system is just not setup to handle that.
Sharp, the maintenance point nails it. And the ugly truth underneath, the only thing that shields you from a broken state is cash. Enough of it and you stop caring how incompetent the government is, you just pay around every hole they leave. Which means resilience is a luxury good now.
Current electricity prices are here https://www.energyprices.eu/
Also, you can't compare just electricity prices, countries like the UK also use a lot of natural gas
Very realistic post on the state of Europe. As a French now living in the US with ties to my country, I concur with your analysis.
The saddest thing is that if you ask people how to fix it, they’ll ask for the state to help.
Thanks man. It hurts to watch Europe burn that many resources on nothing. And that last line is the whole problem, asking the state to fix it is how you get another twenty years of waiting. I get why you left.
Bitter joke in New York City:
Phoenix in 2026 is New York City in 2036.
Nice city, Phoenix. But nobody dares pick up a dropped coin in daylight, given how quickly metal heats in contact with semi-melted asphalt. Severe burns requiring skin grafts occur every summer. Water shortages. Dead elders. Plastics on verge of dribbling like the wax off a lit candle. Fumes rising off asphalt, mildly toxic and potentially flammable. Pets collapsing and provided “final mercy”.
New York City in 2026 is Paris in 2036.
Watching how Europe adapts, I think old people will still be dying of the heat here in 2036, same as now. At least you have AC. Honestly, looking at every system as a mechanism, through an engineer's eyes, is a curse. I'd give it up gladly if I could.
my reason for laughter?
not all New Yorkers have AC and many of those who do often have to make choices of running it or not due to budget
there is an increasing number of older NYCers who find it necessary to exploit public libraries for free cooling and free wifi in summer, then go home to only run AC when sleeping
yet others in much worse situations
personally, I find sleeping with AC make my lungs itch… not the unit… this one is only 7Y old and therefore in good condition…
ugly thing for all NYC residents is lack of drinking water unless buying overpriced bottled water or too sweet soda
I have been carrying around two one liter bottles daily since the start of June and expect to do so till September… if it get bad next week it will be three one liter bottles
my prediction is this will become another change, another new normal, being a minor hassle but as well moderate extra exercise carrying 3 KG extra payload
Same here, tap water was never drinkable my whole life. As a kid I queued for it from a water truck, then bought the 20-liter cooler bottles, now I run a filter. And Trump spends millions on a pool while Musk clears a trillion. Wild world. At least I understand why it happens in my country.
NYC tapwater is regarded as oft times better than bottled water
but restaurants are increasingly trying to force customers an 'upsell' towards soda or beer or bottled water since those are profitable given the mark ups whereas serving tap water does nothing useful in sales
observations:
== always look at priorities
== not enough to just define goals
== nobody wants to prepare for emergency
== everyone wants luxuries even at the expense of others going without basic necessities
Nature is not just our surroundings.
It is our life support system.
It stabilizes the climate.
It cradles biodiversity.
It sustains billions of lives and livelihoods.
And yet, we are pushing it to the brink.
Protecting nature is not a choice.
It is a legal obligation.
It is a moral responsibility.
It is a survival imperative.
Because when nature collapses, economies collapse.
Food systems fail.
Communities are displaced.
The cost of inaction is far greater than the cost of protection.
This is our moment to act with clarity and courage:
Invest in nature’s restoration.
Protect ecosystems at scale.
Align economic growth with environmental stability.
Because the future will not be built against nature
it will be built with it, or not at all.
Let’s honor that responsibility.
For people.
For planet.
For generations to come.