Is our desert southwest a hellscape?

"What I can see in the future is just the opposite of what is happening today. Instead of people flocking to Arizona to live, people for Arizona will be flocking back to Minnesota and Wisconsin. Why? Water and livable heat. That is, for now."

Years ago, I had the opportunity (satire) to accompany my boss to Tucson Arizona in July (twice) to discuss a business opportunity with Hughes Aerospace. My boss was wondering during our first trip, why there were so many convertible cars left unrented. So, he rented one and immediately put the top down. As we drove to the plant, riding in that convertible was like sitting in front of your oven, set at 450 degrees, with a fan blowing on you. I felt like Icarus when he flew too close to the sun. It was a long drive from the airport to Hughes, and I was never so happy when we got there, and I was back in air conditioning.

But that was years ago. And today, Arizona is getting even hotter. This week, the temps have been in the 110+ degrees for highs in Phoenix. Here is the rub - many times in the desert, the high temps will cool off at night. But in Phoenix, one of the larger cities in the country, the daytime heat gets trapped. I check this morning - the temp at Sky Harbor Airport was 92 degrees at 5am. Ouch!

We all know that Northern Canada is ablaze right now. So much so, that the Canadian government has just put out a worldwide appeal for more firefighters. Well SoCal and Arizonia are also having fires right now. As well as other states in the west and southwest. Why? Hot and dry. As much as we have tried to make an oasis out of Phoeniz, nature is starting to take over. How so? By reminding us that Arizona is part desert. And deserts get hot and dry.

As many of us know, TSMC is opening up a huge plant in Arizonia to build some of the most advanced microchips known to man. When I first heard of this, I wondered why in Arizona? Why pick a state which is strapped for water, to build a product which needs water as well as tons of electricity? I mean, TSMC makes the best chips in the world. It is smart to expand out of Taiwan since the Chicoms could come storming over the border at any day now. But why Phoenix? Why not a state which has the excess land but still has adequate power and water.

I read an article not too long ago about some of our global cities becoming hellscapes. Uninhabitable. We are within a few degrees in some of our global cities where people could just die from living there. In fact, scientists at Indiana University have come up with a temp of 95 degrees, which is the maximum a human can live in without suffering heat complications or death from prolonged exposure. Heads up Phoenix - you are way over the 95-degree mark.

What I can see in the future is just the opposite of what is happening today. Instead of people flocking to Arizona to live, people for Arizona will be flocking back to Minnesota and Wisconsin. Why? Water and livable heat. That is, for now.