How to Keep Cool in a Warming World
“In a hotter world, air conditioning isn’t a luxury, it’s a lifesaver”
In the richest countries around the world, air conditioning is a technology that many people take for granted, but it can save lives during intense heat waves. Today, a mere 8% of the 2.8 billion people who reside in the hottest and frequently poorest regions of the globe today have air conditioning in their homes, according to a post by Harvard’s School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.
In the U.S., however, homeowners are spending $29 billion on cooling each year.
One of the best ways to minimize AC emissions is to use sustainable energy instead of fossil fuels to power our grid. Another strategy is to employ more effective air conditioning technology. There are a few different ways this tech is being built (more on that below), but the goal is the same: phase out CO2 emissions as well as HFCs.
In 2016, under the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol, 170 countries decided to reduce HFC production and consumption over a 30-year period. For manufacturers, that means switching to environmentally benign refrigerants like propane and using new drying agents to remove humidity, a process that consumes a third of the energy in current air conditioners, in order to fulfill those targets.
And there are actions you can take, too. People's behavior will almost certainly need to change, especially in wealthier nations with more moderate temperatures, where heat waves are less severe. Despite technological solutions in progress, a great deal still relies on behavior and public approval.
Transaera - The Tech in Action
Our warming climate is just one reason that cooling systems could become the world’s single-largest use of electricity in buildings by 2050. The problem is, today’s ACs consume more energy in humid conditions - it’s a positive feedback loop.
Transaera is a startup building cooling systems that help break that loop. Their tech excels in high-humidity environments where the material can remove moisture more effectively without creating condensation, resulting in a dramatic ⬇️ in energy consumption and keeping people, as well as the planet, cooler.
Watch the video to learn more.
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