SALINA, Kan. — Cattle have been dying as humid winds have swept through the grasslands of the southern plains, pushing the heat index to more than 105 degrees on days of unbroken, bone-baking sunshine.
Stan Cox, a hometown author and agricultural scientist, describes these kinds of temperatures as “thermally hostile” in his recent book, “Losing Our Cool,” which argues for reduced dependence on air conditioning for the good of the environment and for overall health.
“In response to record-breaking summers, we’re relying more on air conditioning, which produces greenhouse emissions that make the summers hotter,” he said. “It’s a cycle that makes you wonder: How long can it go on?”
For Cox, 54, the air conditioner has not been turned on in any sort of regular fashion since 1977. He and his wife, Priti Gulati Cox, 42, an artist, do not use air conditioning even on the most hostile days.
“We stay as inert as possible,” said Stan Cox, outfitted in a short-sleeve shirt and shorts. “And you don’t want to wear polyester, that’s for sure.” The New York Times
