We need to protect vulnerable people from killer heat without destroying the environment
A record-breaking heat wave is sweeping South Asia, threatening hundreds of millions of people with deadly temperatures well above 100 degrees Fahrenheit. As the world heats up, billions of people need air-conditioning. This 120-year-old technology used to be considered a luxury, but in the age of climate change, it is a necessity for human survival. Understandably, this has created anxiety over the climate threat of a world overrun with ACs.
According to the International Energy Agency , the world is projected to add another four billion AC units by 2050, largely driven by demand in emerging economies such as India and Indonesia. Air conditioners can be quite energy-intensive, particularly if inefficient models are used, meaning these countries will need a lot more electricity. In fact, AC could account for 20 to 44 percent of the peak load in India’s power grid by 2050.
To understand what such heat waves mean for people physiologically, researchers use the “wet-bulb temperature,” which combines both heat and humidity to account for how the human body experiences extreme heat. At a wet-bulb temperature of about 90 degrees F, labor becomes unsafe, and if it climbs past 95 degrees F, the body can no longer cool itself, leading to illness and even death.
How can the world avert this disaster? First, by accepting that adequate cooling is an urgent human need in a warming climate. The disruption caused by extreme heat will keep growing, and access to equitable cooling technology will be necessary to ensure the survival and economic prosperity of the billions of people living in tropical regions.
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