Is winter really that bad?
I always enjoyed the cold myself, but a lot of people seem to hate winter...
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let's see:
* cold outside. this means you basically have to bundle up before heading outdoors. does put a bit of a damper on going out.
* when it's winter, the day ends earlier, so if you're someone who likes a lot of sunlight, either you get up early and make the most of your day or you're gonna feel that days go by faster than they should.
* snow is fun when it first falls and is fluffy. however, after it accumulates, then each day (assuming it's not too cold) it melts a bit during the day and refreezes at night, becoming plate ice, which is less fun.
* also, while you CAN walk through snow, much of our transportation involves cars, and cars can't drive through snow very well. so, as a society, either we invest in snowmobiles or in snowplowing trucks and lots of salt/sand/dirt.
* shoveling snow is good for exercise though. assuming the snow hasn't solidified yet. If it has, enjoy attempting to stab ice. also kinda bad for asphalt.
* also, icicles may pose a hazard. I once broke a piece of siding on our house by letting an icicle fall on it.
* running across solidified snow can be fun, but is slippery. fun if you wanna exercise your balance though.
* when spring starts to come, though, it's REALLY gratifying, in a way that doesn't happen in a tropical climate. in a tropical climate, everything feels samey year-round, unless you're paying attention to rainy vs. dry seasons.
* in general, too, you feel you huddle a lot more, and you can take that as a sign to curl up in bed more or to exercise more or even cuddle with your loved ones.
* and you don't have to worry about air conditioning. on the other hand, you do need heating.
* colder climates are able to kill off a lot of pests because the temperature does drop below freezing. mosquitoes generally can't survive, for example. this eliminates a number of disease vectors actually.
* colder climates have more mammalian wildlife and fewer reptiles, relatively speaking. somewhat less species diversity overall.
FYI in tropical climates there still are deciduous trees, but they tend to lose their leaves in the dry season instead. here in Florida that means January-April.
and yeah, i dunno what winter in semi-arid landscapes is like. when i experienced winter it was in Ohio and Connecticut.
because it affects lots of tropical/insect-based disease vectors
also the ability of a huge variety of stuff to survive
invasive species, for example, are far more common in the tropics, because a good number of them can't deal with the cold
also it's possible to improve insulation a lot to keep heat in and keep down heating costs but keeping a space cool you just can't get around AC and that's technologically more complex than heating
though you CAN give yourself a breeze if you don't mind humidity
(and then there's also hot-dry places)
Not in this exactly similar form, but across HH with separate threads dedicated to it, in the main threads, on IRC, so much of the exact same sentiment over and over and over.
and if i do i will let you know by digging up the past threads somehow