A summer of heat waves illuminates a growing global warming concern: Cooling is becoming a requirement, not a luxury.
Rising temperatures are sending demand for air conditioning skyrocketing.Ankit Kalanki, of the nonprofit Rocky Mountain Institute, estimates 3.3 billion more room air conditioners will be in use by 2050.Flamengo, Rio de Janeiro
Heat is an insidious, worldwide killer.The poorest parts of the world are increasingly exposed to heat waves.The inability to cool is a “justice problem,” Kalanki said.But adding billions of inefficient air conditioners would threaten electrical grids and increase emissions.“We must do all it takes to make air conditioning better. Otherwise, it can easily make climate change even worse.” Kalanki said.
Without increased efficiency, “electricity demand for space cooling and buildings could increase by as much as 40% globally by 2030,” according to Clara Camarasa, of the International Energy Agency, an intergovernmental organization.Günther Cologna, 64, in a terraXcube in Bolzano, Italy, where researchers can recreate all the environmental conditions of our planet, including extreme ones.
Demand for air conditioning is expected to skyrocket in countries like India, Brazil and Indonesia.A worker rests in the heat in Port of Tanjung Priok, Jakarta.
Rising populations, increasing incomes, urbanization and global warming are driving demand, Kalanki said.Cristiano Carlos de Souza Nascimento, 47, plunges into his pool in a favela near Rio de Janeiro.
About 24% of India’s households had an air conditioner or cooler in 2021, according to a government report.Visitors gather for a video in an air-conditioned room in Delhi’s Nehru Planetarium.
About 20% of Brazil’s households owned air conditioning in 2018, according to the study published in Nature Communications.A Rio de Janeiro building with dozens of air conditioning units.
About 20% of Brazil’s households owned air conditioning in 2018, according to the study published in Nature Communications.
A Rio de Janeiro building with dozens of air conditioning units.
Nearly 63,000 people died in 2022 in heatwaves in Europe alone, according to a study in Nature Medicine.Cities are looking to add shade, which can dramatically alter surface temperatures. A study of urban heat in Arizona found tree cover reduced surface temperatures over pavement by about 24 degrees Fahrenheit.
Andrea Squarci, 69, watches a tennis match on TV during a heatwave at Lido dei Pini, Italy. “I only use AC when the heat is unbearable,” Squarci said.
Andrea Squarci, 69, watches a tennis match on TV during a heatwave at Lido dei Pini, Italy. “I only use AC when the heat is unbearable,” Squarci said.
A family sits in the shadow of a boat on a beach in Stromboli, Italy.
In 2022, energy consumption for cooling increased by more than 5% over the year prior, according to the International Energy Agency.“It’s already placing a massive burden on electricity grids,” said Radhika Lalit, of the Rocky Mountain Institute.
Solar roof panels in the Babilônia favela, or working-class neighborhood, of Rio de Janeiro.
In 2022, energy consumption for cooling increased by more than 5% over the year prior, according to the International Energy Agency.“It’s already placing a massive burden on electricity grids,” said Radhika Lalit, of the Rocky Mountain Institute.Solar roof panels in the Babilônia favela, or working-class neighborhood, of Rio de Janeiro.
Bibiana Angel Gonzales stands on the roof of her solar-powered home in the Babilônia favela of Rio de Janeiro.
By 2050, “India alone will see the adoption of 1 billion air conditioners,“ Kalanki said.India’s population has the highest level of heat stress exposure in the world, according to the International Energy Agency.AC units with obsolete technology in a recycling workshop in the Dharavi, Mumbai.
By 2050, “India alone will see the adoption of 1 billion air conditioners,“ Kalanki said.India’s population has the highest level of heat stress exposure in the world, according to the International Energy Agency.
AC units with obsolete technology in a recycling workshop in the Dharavi, Mumbai.
Tangled cables diverting electricity in Dharavi, Mumbai.
Anna Gabriela Patrocinio Gregório, 24, poses with her daughters Lara, 8, and Sãnella, 5, in the Santa Teresa neighborhood of Rio de Janeiro. The house has three rooms and no windows.“The heat is especially daunting during the night,” she said.
Exposure to extreme heat is linked to sharp drops in worker productivity, declines in sleep quality, increases in violent crime and drops in student learning, recent research suggests. Bali, Indonesia
Exposure to extreme heat is linked to sharp drops in worker productivity, declines in sleep quality, increases in violent crime and drops in student learning, recent research suggests. Bali, Indonesia
Even though cooling equipment has become more efficient, energy consumption from space cooling has nearly tripled since 1990, according to the International Energy Agency. Without further efficiency improvements, growing demand for room air conditioners could cause nearly 1 degree F of additional global warming by 2100, Lalit said.
Guthembergo and his daughter Lidia Cristina Soares shower to stay cool at their home in Rio De Janeiro, where temperatures often rise to 104 degrees F.
Older adults are among those most vulnerable to heatwaves. The Lancet Countdown, a medical report, estimated that about 345,000 people 65 years old and above died from heat-related causes in 2019.
Experts say cooling is becoming a basic necessity for health, productivity and economic development.“This is going to be a universal need,” Lalit said.A first-class, air-conditioned train car in Yogyakarta, Java.
About 10% of global electricity consumption is used for space cooling, according to the International Energy Agency.A second-class train car in Jaipur, India.
About 10% of global electricity consumption is used for space cooling, according to the International Energy Agency.
A second-class train car in Jaipur, India.
The future of cooling doesn’t depend entirely on energy. Antiquated buildings – like the Amer Fort in Jaipur, India – use passive cooling strategies like courtyards, shade, ventilation and the reflection of sunlight to keep spaces cool. The building was constructed in the late 1600s.
The future of cooling doesn’t depend entirely on energy. Antiquated buildings – like the Amer Fort in Jaipur, India – use passive cooling strategies like courtyards, shade, ventilation and the reflection of sunlight to keep spaces cool. The building was constructed in the late 1600s.
Changing the way cities look and feel can help reduce demand for air conditioning.“You have to make sure your urban design is done in the right way, that you’re planning your cities the right way,” Kalanki said.
A man rests in front of the Museum of Tomorrow in Rio de Janeiro.
Changing the way cities look and feel can help reduce demand for air conditioning.“You have to make sure your urban design is done in the right way, that you’re planning your cities the right way,” Kalanki said.A man rests in front of the Museum of Tomorrow in Rio de Janeiro.
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The photography for the Cooling Solution project received funding from the European Research Council, the CMCC and Ca’Foscari University of Venice. Scientific research: ENERGYA and Enrica De Cian.