Climate Threat Global Challenges

Ten Percent of Emissions Could Come from ACs by 2050

Air conditioning is being used more and more as temperatures rise in large parts of the world. But the cold air fuels global warming and even more people will want to get an air conditioner for their home, writes Context.

The vicious circle is a product of climate change, rapid urbanization, population growth and rising incomes.

10 percent of the total emissions that lead to rising temperatures in 2025 could come from ACs and cooling, according to the UN environmental agency UNEP.

The reason that ACs can lead to climate change is, according to the newspaper, their use of a lot of electricity and that they often need to use refrigerants that cause more warming than CO2.

Demand is expected to increase the most in Africa and South Asia.

Singapore’s Call for Air Conditioning to Set Temperatures to 25 Degrees

The increasing use of air conditioning globally risks sending the world into a vicious cycle because its use itself is causing the Earth to warm up faster, writes Context.

In Singapore, a national campaign was launched in May this year under the slogan “Go 25,” reports The Straits Times. It is intended to encourage residents to set their ACs to 25 degrees or higher to save energy.

Other countries have gone further in their regulations. In Taipei, companies risk fines if they cool premises to temperatures below 26 degrees.