Technology

To be clear, the headline refers to yank degrees:

In outdoor tests in Arizona, the textile stayed [...] 16 F (8.9 C) cooler than regular silk, a breathable fabric often used for dresses and shirts.

They didn't really compare it to many materials it seems.

I also don't know why they said 16+ degrees. That was the largest temperature delta they saw, not the least...

Besides, this is only part of the tale:

• Is it affordable?

• Is it mass manufacturable?

• Is it comfortable?

• Is it durable?

• Is it washable?

• Is it crease prone?

• Can it be easily mixed with other materials, e.g. to make it elasticated?

• Is it recyclable?

• Is it dyeable?

• is it fine for sensitive skin?

• etc

Sounds cool (heh) though. I'm often too warm.

I admit I didn't read the article throughly, but surely if it's impossiblely thin it can't exist. I only bring this up because I'm an obnoxious pedant.

Made of plastic... Just what we need!

Nighthawkinlight just released a video on a material that accomplishes this that you could make at home.

https://youtu.be/Nqxjfp4Gi0k?si=4rEVK5DjNZCGc1Fi

On top of that, as we experience higher temperatures, many people also crank up their air conditioners—which emit more heat-trapping greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.

This is not correct. Air conditioning units do not 'emit more [...] greenhouse gases'. Air conditioners use a refrigerant--usually R134a--which does have a high global warming potential (GWP) compared to methane or CO2, but that refrigerant is in a closed loop; it's not going anywhere unless the system is damaged. Most a/c failures aren't from refrigerant leaking out of the system, and the system no longer being able to effectively transfer heat, but from the compressor motor failing. When the compressor fails, in most cases you can evacuate the refrigerant, replace the broken part, and then recharge the system. (The fact that they can be repaired doesn't mean that they usually are repaired. Which is shitty.)

What is true is that a/c units emit heat themselves. An air conditioner moves heat from inside a space to outside of that space; in the process of doing so, the a/c unit itself is creating an additional small amount of heat from the function of the compressor motor, electronics, etc.

Beyond that, most electricity that's used to run a/c systems--and every other electrical device--is produced from burning fossil fuels. So if there's more demand for electricity--such as from a heat dome that has everyone running their a/c full-time--then yes, more CO2 is going to get pumped out into the atmosphere. But if your electricity is coming from sources that are largely emissions-free, like solar, wind, or hydro, then air conditioning is a negligible source of heat.

tl;dr - don't feel bad about using your a/c when heat rises to dangerous levels; agitate at a local, state, and national level for renewable, carbon-neutral ways of generating electricity, and for more efficient use of electricity.

A good stop-gap while cities de-car-ify and rebuild green space.

Actual degrees or American fantasy units?

What are examples of “broadband emitter “ fabrics that I can buy? The only links I can find are for this article.

It’s going to need to be like 40F cooler pretty soon here.