Why dont more people live in antarctica (rent, homes)

[MoMark]

Originally Posted by Need_affordable_home

Shipping! If they can ship stuff to Austrilia, they can do the same to antarctica!

I think there is international agreement that Antarctica is off-limits for claiming as national territory for any nation. Countries may have stations there for research purposes, etc., but it's been internationally agreed that Antarctica is to be kept pristine as much as possible. Even garbage produced there is shipped back out. Everything consumed there in the stations is imported. Precautions are taken to prevent pollution, contamination, or spoiling of the areas where people actually live. And, because the climate is so hard, even in the coastal areas closer to Argentina and Chile, the weather is still too harsh for constant human habitation.
As for cold...I live in a very temperate climate most of the time, but this winter for example has been bitterly cold, not to mention all the destructive ice storms, snowstorms, etc. Yesterday for example I was in my front acreage with neighbors sawing up and dragging trees and tree limbs to bonfires that were felled by the recent ice storm. It was 19F with a high north wind and a 0F wind chill. It was UNBEARABLE to be outside and I literally had to come inside every couple of hours, frozen stiff, though dressed in lots of layers with my hand and face protected. It took me an hour of sitting on the couch in my parka, wrapped in two scarves, insulated gloves still on my hands, and my sweatshirt hood over my head to get my core warmed to the point I finally felt comfortable again. You can't really work outside safely in those conditions.
I just don't think even if it were politically feasible that people would live voluntarily in Antarctica.

[j33]

MoMark - it has been a brutal one hasn't it? The temperatures here have been rather chilly as well (along the lines of what you are reporting). However, these are the sort of temperatures I expect at this time of year (even though I don't like them) and even expecting, growing up with, and being prepared, stepping outside when it is 10F like it was this morning, or -10F (which is about what is predicted for the weekend), it is still a shock. I walk 1/2 mile to and from the train each way to get to work and can tell you some nights when I get home, I don't take off my hat and scarf for awhile until I warm up.

I remember thinking to myself one morning not too long ago "I'm wearing long underwear, wool trousers, wool socks, boots, a wool sweater, and ankle length wool coat, a scarf, a hat, and cashmere lined gloves and I'm still freezing my rear off, what is wrong with this picture?', that is why people do not voluntarily live in places like antarctica for very long.

[MoMark]

Originally Posted by j33

MoMark - it has been a brutal one hasn't it? The temperatures here have been rather chilly as well (along the lines of what you are reporting). However, these are the sort of temperatures I expect at this time of year (even though I don't like them) and even expecting, growing up with, and being prepared, stepping outside when it is 10F like it was this morning, or -10F (which is about what is predicted for the weekend), it is still a shock. I walk 1/2 mile to and from the train each way to get to work and can tell you some nights when I get home, I don't take off my hat and scarf for awhile until I warm up.

I remember thinking to myself one morning not too long ago "I'm wearing long underwear, wool trousers, wool socks, boots, a wool sweater, and ankle length wool coat, a scarf, a hat, and cashmere lined gloves and I'm still freezing my rear off, what is wrong with this picture?', that is why people do not voluntarily live in places like antarctica for very long.

Exactly! I spent one winter in Chicago, the winter of 81 and it was miserably cold. Southwest Missouri certainly has its arctic moments, but usually nothing on the scale of northern Illinois. This winter has been a booger.

[Need_affordable_home]

Thats what I heard too. So its some kind of huge national wildlife reserve? I know theres many parks in the midwest and Alaska that are off limits to development, although camping is generally allowed, you just cant disturb any plants/animals. Maybe they can do the same with Antarctica, make it a tourist destination? If they will allow it, of course.

Cold can be a problem but if people can live in Alaska, north Canada, Siberia, etc they can live in coastal Antarctica. Courtray to what people think, it does not get anywhere near -100f except around the south pole! No plant/animal can live except in coastal Antarctica.

I tolerate cold better than some people but I wouldnt want to live in a climate colder than about zone 7a. This puts several northern states off the list for me, any state that easily and regularly gets below zero is too cold for me. Oil city for example almost never gets below zero. I wont be staying outside long if its too cold. If I have to cut trees, remove branches, cant that wait till spring?

[MoMark]

Originally Posted by Need_affordable_home

I tolerate cold better than some people but I wouldnt want to live in a climate colder than about zone 7a. This puts several northern states off the list for me, any state that easily and regularly gets below zero is too cold for me. Oil city for example almost never gets below zero. I wont be staying outside long if its too cold. If I have to cut trees, remove branches, cant that wait till spring?

No, you don't wait for Spring when it's this bad anymore than you wait to clean a dirty house until Spring. It's a hazard to anyone coming onto the property (which means a liability if someone should injure himself), and it limits mobility around the property as well as looks terrible.
Normal, cultivated, mowed, park-perfect. This is how I like it:

After the ice storm a shot of the debris. The limbs are MUCH bigger than they appear in the photo and you're looking at approx. an acre in this shot.

I can't tolerate my property in such bad shape and there's no way I could wait for Spring to get it put back in order.
This shot is from Sunday after half the front of the property, the part shown in the debris photo, was cleaned up and burned. I've got 4.3 acres of this. Imagine the immensity of the problem. Do you notice a difference? That took 7 hours with four men working with tractors using chains to pull trees and limbs to bonfires to accomplish. But you can see the difference immediately. What you can't see is that it was 15F outside Sunday:

[Need_affordable_home]

Hope you saved that branches, it would make great firewood! How much did it cost for others to help you clean it up? Did you leave any branches behind where no one can access, such as far behind your house. I can understand cleaning the front yard. We had alot of cleanup after the hurricanes, took like three days to clean all the debris and branches! Is 15f that cold? How long can one stay outside if hes wearing a proper coat?

[bmurphy]

15f is very cold. I guess you could stay out bundled up for awhile, but you really wouldn't be comfortable. It doesn't matter just because Oil City doesn't go below 0. It's still cold.

BTW, don't assume what kinds of cold you can handle until you're in them. Some people hate heat, but also heat cold, and need a moderate climate.

[bmurphy]

Originally Posted by Need_affordable_home

Thats what I heard too. So its some kind of huge national wildlife reserve? I know theres many parks in the midwest and Alaska that are off limits to development, although camping is generally allowed, you just cant disturb any plants/animals. Maybe they can do the same with Antarctica, make it a tourist destination? If they will allow it, of course.

Cold can be a problem but if people can live in Alaska, north Canada, Siberia, etc they can live in coastal Antarctica. Courtray to what people think, it does not get anywhere near -100f except around the south pole! No plant/animal can live except in coastal Antarctica.

I tolerate cold better than some people but I wouldnt want to live in a climate colder than about zone 7a. This puts several northern states off the list for me, any state that easily and regularly gets below zero is too cold for me. Oil city for example almost never gets below zero. I wont be staying outside long if its too cold. If I have to cut trees, remove branches, cant that wait till spring?

So move to Antarctica! You don't seem to be reading what anyone says so go ahead and move there.

[MoMark]

Originally Posted by Need_affordable_home

Hope you saved that branches, it would make great firewood! How much did it cost for others to help you clean it up? Did you leave any branches behind where no one can access, such as far behind your house. I can understand cleaning the front yard. We had alot of cleanup after the hurricanes, took like three days to clean all the debris and branches! Is 15f that cold? How long can one stay outside if hes wearing a proper coat?

I don't have a woodburning fireplace NAH. Mine is propane-fueled. As for branches, I've literally dealt with tens of tons of them and much heavier wood. The big stuff that's been cut up so far my neighbors have taken to resupply their own firewood stocks. Remember though they too have the same issue I've had...waaaaay too much in the way of fallen branches, limbs, and full trees.
I do have two back acres in the woods that have trees lying everywhere and I'm not going to bother trying to clean that up. There's no point.
As for paying anyone, my two neighbors worked days for free. I paid three teenage boys $10/Hr. They're also scattered around the area and they are GREAT kids who are making a buck and doing a fantastic job. I'll be working on my neighbor's property on Saturday.
This pic was from Saturday and at the beginning of our cleanup. We burned 10X what you see in that fire by 4pm that day and since then I've had two huge bonfires that went for two days. We got 4" of snow yesterday into late night and those two bonfire sites remain snow-free because they're still hot. I could restart them just be stirring them up. In 15F, you can freeze to death, especially if there's any wind at all. It's damn cold. Let me rephrase that... it's almost unbearable NAH. You suffer in it.

[Need_affordable_home]

Bet that bonfire heated the air you must have been warm standing by the fire. Were you worried the fire could spread and burn the whole forest? Are you going to plant new trees to replace those that died? How do people tolerate minus temperatures if 15f is cold enough to make you frozen and miserable?