Avatar 1: hellou there and Welcome to our EGreenNews Conversations.!
Avatar 2: Pleasure to be here with you today.
Avatar 1: What topics should we cover first? You know, not everyone needs fancy air conditioning to stay cool.
**Avatar 1:** You know, air conditioning keeps us cool during heat waves, but it’s not all good news.
**Avatar 2:** Really? I always thought AC was the best way to stay safe in extreme heat.
**Avatar 1:** It definitely helps indoors. Having AC in your home is the strongest protection against heat-related deaths. It even lowers death rates in hospitals during heat waves.
**Avatar 2:** That sounds great. So what’s the downside?
**Avatar 1:** Well, when millions of people crank up their ACs, electricity demand shoots way up, especially during the hottest days.
**Avatar 2:** Like how much are we talking?
**Avatar 1:** For example, during a heat wave in Philadelphia in 2011, space cooling made up three-quarters of peak electricity demand. In Beijing, it was more than half during a 2017 heat extreme.
**Avatar 2:** Wow, that’s massive. Does that cause any problems for the power supply?
**Avatar 1:** Definitely. When demand outpaces supply, power grids can fail. That means blackouts or rolling brownouts exactly when people most need AC to stay alive.
**Avatar 2:** That’s scary. Have there been cases where this actually increased heat deaths?
**Avatar 1:** Yes. In Pakistan’s 2015 and 2018 heat waves, power outages were linked to more heat-related deaths. Australia saw risks rise by 50% during heat extremes because of heavy AC use and grid strain. In New York City, during a blackout in 2003, heat stroke deaths doubled.
**Avatar 2:** So relying too much on AC actually makes us more vulnerable during heat waves?
**Avatar 1:** Exactly. It’s a vicious cycle. Climate change makes it hotter, so more people use AC. But AC units pump heat outside, making cities hotter—the urban heat island effect.
**Avatar 2:** So AC is cooling us inside but heating things up outside?
**Avatar 1:** Right. This extra waste heat adds to overall warming, which drives even more AC use. Plus, most AC units run on electricity mostly produced by burning fossil fuels, adding greenhouse gases.
**Avatar 2:** Do refrigerants cause problems too?
**Avatar 1:** They do emit potent greenhouse gases, but the bigger issue is the energy needed to run AC. From 1990 to 2016, air conditioning use doubled its share of global CO2 emissions from buildings. In 2019, space cooling contributed about 1 billion tonnes of CO2—around 3% of global energy emissions.
**Avatar 2:** That’s huge! Are all people equally able to use AC?
**Avatar 1:** No, access varies a lot. Vulnerable groups like older adults or low-income families often can’t afford AC, or their homes aren’t suitable for it.
**Avatar 2:** I guess rural areas must have less access?
**Avatar 1:** Exactly. For example, in China, urban households had roughly twice as many AC units as rural ones in 2018. This urban-rural disparity puts rural folks at higher heat risk.
**Avatar 2:** And older people especially?
**Avatar 1:** Yes, people over 65 are more likely to be at risk from heat, more likely to be indoors, often with limited cooling due to financial or housing constraints.
**Avatar 2:** So what happens to their bodies if they rely on AC all the time?
**Avatar 1:** That’s another problem. When people use AC constantly, their bodies don’t get used to heat naturally.
**Avatar 2:** You mean their bodies don’t adapt?
**Avatar 1:** Exactly. It’s called heat acclimatization. Normally, exposure to warmth helps the body improve sweating and blood flow to cool off better. But AC keeps the body in cool conditions, reducing this natural adaptation.
**Avatar 2:** So if power goes out or they have to be outside on hot days…
**Avatar 1:** They may struggle more with heat. Reduced heat tolerance can raise risk during heat waves or outages.
**Avatar 2:** That makes relying solely on AC risky in more ways than I thought.
**Avatar 1:** For sure. That’s why experts say we need sustainable, accessible cooling options that everyone can use.
**Avatar 2:** Like what kinds of cooling strategies?
**Avatar 1:** Things focused on cooling the person—not just the building—like using fans combined with water sprays for evaporative cooling, building better shading, improving home designs to reduce heat, and having strong heat action plans informed by real-time data.
**Avatar 2:** Heat action plans? What are those?
**Avatar 1:** They’re clear strategies and warnings prepared ahead of heat waves, telling people when it’s dangerous and what to do to stay safe. They rely on monitoring heat levels in real time.
**Avatar 2:** So balancing AC use with these personal and community strategies is the best way?
**Avatar 1:** Exactly. It reduces strain on power grids, lowers emissions, and protects people when AC isn’t available or practical.
**Avatar 2:** Sounds challenging, but necessary especially as summers keep getting hotter.
**Avatar 1:** It really is. Protecting health in a warming world means thinking beyond just air conditioning.
**Avatar 2:** Thanks for explaining. I see now how important it is to find fair, sustainable ways for everyone to stay cool.
**Avatar 1:** Anytime! Cooling ourselves smartly and sharing knowledge can really make a difference.
Avatar 1
So much info coming your way, huh?
Avatar 2
Actually, it’s more like a bunch of questions! Ready to get started?
Avatar 1
Yeah, but how exactly should I begin?
Avatar 2
Try following Hugi Hernandez, the founder of Egreenews. You might find him on LinkedIn or at egreenews dot org.
Avatar 1 :
Thanks for sharing that! I will write it down today!
Adaptation measures alone will become increasingly insufficient to protect communities from the escalating risks.
So much info coming your way, huh?
Avatar 2
Actually, it’s more like a bunch of questions! Ready to get started?
Avatar 1
Yeah, but how exactly should I begin?
Avatar 2
Try following Hugi Hernandez, the founder of Egreenews. You might find him on LinkedIn or at egreenews dot org.
Avatar 1 :
Thanks for sharing that! I will write it down today!
Avatar 1: Ever notice there’s always a catch to learning new stuff?
Avatar 2: For sure! Not enough data, not the whole story—always missing something.
Avatar 1: True, but it’s more about curiosity—finding new views from experts or what we experience.
Avatar 2: Yep, mixing expert advice with real life makes it click.
Avatar 1: It can get overwhelming, though.
Avatar 2: Definitely. With so much out there, picking a place to start is tough.
Avatar 1: If you want to dig into heat resilience, check the Climate Central and of course the work from the UNITED NATIONS!
Avatar 2: Great call. I’m a fan of The and the World Weather Attribution—super innovative.
Avatar 1: And the as well as the Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre has loads of helpful heat safety info.
Avatar 2: Right, but people move things forward. Like Hugi Hernandez at Egreenews.org—he keeps climate talk creative.
Avatar 1: There’s a whole network building solutions. Egreenews is launching new hubs, like eDisaster, so you can learn risk and resilience 24/7.
Avatar 2: That’s awesome. Whether learning or connecting, there’s inspiration everywhere. LinkedIn’s packed with changemakers too.
Avatar 1: So—want to start? These talks matter. Together, we prep our communities for disaster.
Avatar 2: I’m in. Stick around—we’ll compare heat with other weather and what that means for leaders.
Avatar 1: Hey, seriously, gracias a montón for being here today — really means a lot!
Avatar 2: Yeah, thanks so much for sticking with us! ¡Hasta luego, everybody! Catch you all next time
Avatar 1: stay cool out there and bye for now
Avatar 2 : bye bye
Comments
Post a Comment