AC Is a Human Right, and Big Opportunity

Authors see an opportunity to promote climate justice and renewable energy
By Mike L. Ford,  Newser Staff
Posted May 10, 2022 6:39 PM CDT
Humans Have a Right to Air Conditioning
In this 2015 file photo, a Pakistani boy sprinkles water on his father who is suffering from heatstroke in Karachi, Pakistan. That year's heat wave claimed 3500 lives in Pakistan and India, making it the fifth deadliest heat wave on record.   (AP Photo/Shakil Adil, File)

Currently, there are 2 billion air-conditioning units in use around the world, and the International Energy Agency expects 4 billion more by 2050. There’s a big problem baked into those numbers, but it’s also a big opportunity, according to Rose Mutiso and coauthors, who argue in Scientific American that AC is a human right. The authors—all experts in renewable energy and public policy—understand that AC is also energy intensive. As demand for AC rises, so does demand for electricity, and if that comes from fossil fuels, it makes climate change worse. The projections strike fear in climatologists, but "ditching AC is not an option, and it should not be the goal," the authors write. "Instead of a threat, this should be seen as an opportunity to explore greener cooling technology and encourage the adoption of renewable energy."

While most of the world’s AC units are in the US and wealthy parts of Asia, the need is greatest in hotter places, like Saharan Africa and South Asia. That's where demand will rise the most, as it is simply too hot to work or even rest outdoors much of the year. People die and economies suffer as a result. To meet the problem and promote climate justice, the authors say the first step is to accept “that adequate cooling is an urgent human need.” Governments need to establish stricter efficiency standards, invest in new tech, and explore non-electric alternatives. Also, stop dumping old, inefficient ACs in poor countries and work to lower costs instead. Read the full piece here. (More air conditioning stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X