The world does not need more air conditioned houses: What the world needs is for the United States to learn from the world community.
One of the Five Keys to Voluntary Simplicity and my Repurposed Life project is this: “Learn from the World Community.” What are countries like Costa Rica and other regions of the Global South already doing to reduce carbon emissions and prepare for the coming climate crisis? Here are three examples.
Who needs air conditioning when we have trees?
Countries in the Global South do not need more air conditioning: they need the United States to do its part by taking the climate crisis seriously. Residents of the United States must begin reducing their dependence on fossil fuels, and air conditioning – climate control – is not a solution, it is the problem. In the United States, just the heating and cooling of all those big buildings contributes a double digit percentage of carbon emissions. What does this mean? Air conditioning, while temporarily relieving people from feeling hot, actually makes the world hotter! As the world grows hotter—thanks in great part to the wasteful lifestyles of the rich nations—we need to reduce our dependence on “climate control,” not increase it. We need to start taking action, not to keep ourselves cool by making the world burn, but to slow down the heat by reducing our dependence on energy.
No, First World America, the rest of the world does not need to be like you. You need to start being like the rest of the world.
When I first moved to Costa Rica in 2009, rather than looking around and making notes on the things Costa Rica didn’t have that they should (because the US has them, right? Everyone should be like us!), I began making notes on things that Costa Rica does differently.
And perhaps they do these things differently because they work!
For example, the climate is moderate, year-round, which means there is no need for climate-controlled housing. Costa Ricans do not need to remodel their houses so they can install air conditioning. This is a bizarre assumption!
It is obvious to see that buildings are intentionally constructed to utilize natural air conditioning. Homes and office buildings, and even malls, are adapted to the climate with large windows, open courtyards in the center of buildings, outdoor terraces, and of course, screens on the windows (if at all) instead of glass, to increase air circulation. And, big trees are everywhere. Trees provide natural shade, thus reducing the earth’s temperature. Air conditioning does not reduce earth’s temperature: it increases it! We need to plant more trees, not install more air conditioning units.
Why do we need hot tubs?
Another example of Costa Rica’s innovations is the absence of hot water heaters and the excessive use of hot water, not to mention the waste of water resources. Who needs to take a hot shower in a temperate climate? Very few homes have bathtubs for the same reason, thus reducing energy and water waste. Medical science has proven that cold water showers are more healthful than hot showers and baths: perhaps Costa Rica is ahead, not behind, the First World. On-demand hot water units are installed in shower heads for people who need to have a hot shower, thus reducing energy consumption as well as water usage.
In most buildings and homes, there is only cold water in the taps. Costa Rican industry has developed dish and laundry soaps that sanitize effectively with cold water: There is no need for boiling hot water to produce clean clothing and dishes. This is an innovation, not a handicap. And speaking of water, Costa Rica’s public drinking water is most likely cleaner and safer than the tap water in many cities of the United States: it is not contaminated by lead pipes and toxic waste dumps.
Why do we need to have so much stuff?
Many areas of Costa Rica do not have big box stores or fast food franchises. Perhaps this is another example of intentional choice and innovation. Why would a town need a Walmart or a Burger King when they already have a plethora of grocery stores and restaurants that are conveniently located and affordably priced? These neighborhood grocery stores have a name: pulperia – a place where most every necessity may be found, and found within walking distance so that customers do not need to drive a car in order to find food. The small restaurants also have a name: soda – a place where anyone can find nutritious food – which also has a name: casado – for a universally affordable price. Each neighborhood has a weekly farmer’s market, where fresh produce and food items are brought in and made available to the public at affordable prices.
Once upon a time the United States had these things, too. But unfortunately, using the faulty economic model of gonzo capitalism, the big box stores and restaurant franchises in the United States have forced small family groceries and restaurants out of business. These big stores and restaurant chains, of course, are built on highways only accessible by people with cars. Food insecurity is a consequence of this “profit over people” plan, creating food deserts in the more disadvantaged neighborhoods and resulting in an epidemic of unhealthier, poorer, and hungrier people. Why does the United States have a growing population of “food insecure” citizens? Why is it that, in the United States, farmers’ markets are places where only the wealthier people can afford to buy fresh fruits and vegetables? Why would Costa Rica want to do that to its own people?
Perhaps people in the United States can take a look at what other countries have always been doing to live sustainably and responsibly with the resources they have. As recent news stories have been announcing, it is time to change the direction of the American Dream: instead of pressuring poorer nations to have everything people in the United States have, it’s time for people in the United States to start choosing to waste less.
April 28, 2023April 28, 2023
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