Rising air conditioning use could exacerbate global warming
DOI: 10.1063/PT.5.029866
Washington Post : As the world’s population grows and countries’ economies improve, more people are purchasing air conditioning units for their homes and businesses. According to a study published last year, as many as 1.6 billion new air conditioners could be installed by 2050. To discuss the global impact on climate those installations will have, representatives from around the world are meeting in San Francisco this week at the seventh Clean Energy Ministerial . They will consider ways to lessen the environmental impact, such as by designing air conditioners to be more energy efficient and by finding alternative coolants to hydrofluorocarbons, which contribute to global warming.