You probably won't get most people to switch to bikes by selling them on fighting climate change anyway. You get them to switch to bikes by making it more convenient to bike than to car. This requires a ratchet of policy that deemphasizes car infrastructure and invests in bike infra instead. That investment can include climate change accomodations like adding trees or artificial shading to bike paths/lanes or more aid stations with water/misters/cooling.

This argument is like asking people to donate cups of water to fight a raging forest fire .... if we could only gather thousands of cups of water, maybe we can stop that fire. Meanwhile, there is a maniac standing at the edge of the forest with a flame thrower burning everything and no one wants to acknowledge them.

Government should do things at the regional, national and international levels to curb the activities of major corporations and companies that produce a large majority of the pollution in our world. The world and planet will be fine with all the damage and destruction we are doing to it .... it's survived far worse than anything we can do. We have to do something in order to save ourselves ... it's not the planet that will die ... we will all die off. We have to start prioritizing how to save ourselves as a species rather than in trying to manage the economic portfolios of a handful of billionaires and their corporate shareholders. As soon as we are gone, none of those profits will matter.

A few cars on the road isn't going to make a significant difference. The problem is the massive factories and industry churning out more greenhouse gases than we ever could with our measly automobiles.

I've been thinking about this a lot recently, trying to survive the recent heat and humidity. Every time I've gotten to a destination in the past few weeks, I've been drenched in sweat and slightly light-headed. While I still prefer that to driving, bike-crazed as I am, I can't say it makes for a particularly effective promotion of cycling to the people who see me.

On the flip side, I've noticed more and more winter cyclists in my area over the years. Snow/ice doesn't hang around as long as it used to when it falls, and winter seasons keep feeling shorter and shorter.

Reminder that the idea of carbon footprint was marketed by big oil to displace blame off themselves to the consumer, who barely has a carbon footprint in comparison.

It’s the same downward spiral as A/C usage. Usage will increase with hot weather or bad air quality, which puts higher demands on power. 😞

I bought an ebike a couple of years ago and find that while it may have a somewhat higher carbon footprint, things like heat and air quality have been less of an issue and I commute most days on it now. This is not just because you can switch to an all-electric ride and enjoy the breeze without the workout. In my experience, it also encourages you to seek out parks and trails which may be hillier or add a bit of distance, but are often cooler due to more shade, proximity to water, and less asphalt everywhere.

There are some steps you can take to stay cool on any bike though. There are all sorts of neck and wrist coolers on the market, but even tying a wet towel around your neck can make a huge difference. I am prone to heat exhaustion and this has saved me even when just walking around. But on a bike where you have a breeze to boost the cooling effect of having something wet on your body, it works really well.

Last summer I went out on my bicycle and suffered heat exhaustion. I spent all day in the hospital. It put me off biking the whole summer. I think you're right.

It is a little worrying on a global scale, but at least in Canada, it will just change the ideal season for cycling.

There will be more cycling in the spring and fall for what we would lose from exceedingly hot temps in the summer.

NJB did a video on 'too cold' to cycle and I guess many arguments could be recycled for 'too hot', for example infrastructure for breaks, shadow, rehydration.

There might also exist timegeographic remedies, for example moving transport and mobility to colder, dimmer hours.

I doubt the impact size of the feedback loop you described to be huge and captivating. Cycling and driving might not be determined by 'rational' ease of use, I guess there is a lot of elasticity, cultural factors and other things at play as well.

Mostly I find that avoiding peak UV is enough to reduce the impact of biking.

I supply my 70 seat BBQ joint with bike & cart. I only get meats & beer delivered (kegs...ya'know). Summer is hot, winter is cold. I have excellent rain gear I break out 4-5 times a year (former Seattle native caught without one time too many)

It's entirely possible for a lot of businesses to switch to a better solution.

I've been riding a bike, mainly for fitness, for almost 3 decades. Lately, the heat has been forcing me to shorten my rides or not ride at all. Even from 5 years ago, I don't remember it being so hot that you're looking to get into the shade by mid-morning.

nope as it's not too hot to cycle in general, maybe during some hours at some specific days of summer but the overall year is completely nice

yeah, I'm telling you from barcelona and here there's no snow and ice on the roads/trails I use to cycle it's true but there's much more equipment and tires to cycle on winter conditions, so you can adapt your bike to winter, than the 0 equipment and components to cycle on hot, summer, conditions

winter wins, always

That vast majority of emissions aren't from individual commutes to work or the store, but from industrial processes and transportation. Increasing heat will lead people to stay inside in general, which will raise electric demands, leading to more emissions, though.

I could be wrong about the commute spiral, I don't have any hard numbers, it's just a guess.

The same thing is actually happening to nuclear power plants: they need a nearby source of water to keep the reactors cool and afair something like 40% of the ones in France (which is one of the main nuclear power generating countries in the world) are operating at far below expected output because the water isn't cold enough anymore,like.

Granted, nuclear power wasn't a viable solution anyway, what with the gigantic waste problem, but most governments seem to be allergic to clean energy (or the comparative lack of people in the sector willing to bribe politicians and other officials), so it was the least awful way available in the case of most of the world. Now the climate change it was supposed to mitigate is making it less efficient and more risky to the point that it'll eventually, maybe soon,stop being viable at all 🤦