There’s a hum reverberating through the vast halls of Sharm El-Sheikh International Conference Center in Egypt. It’s not the sound of 90 or so heads of state negotiating the latest international agreements on climate change. Nor is it the 30,000 or so delegates, strategically influencing their way to a better deal. Beneath those sounds, very quietly, is the drone of the air conditioning units keeping the attendees at a comfortable temperature.
Egypt’s electricity is mostly generated by oil and gas. Running air-conditioners causes tonnes of carbon dioxide to belch into the atmosphere, aggravating global heating and creating a vicious cycle by increasing demand for air-conditioning.
Although Egypt is aiming for 42 percent renewable energy by 2035, globally, greenhouse gas emissions from global air-conditioning are set to soar over the coming decades. Climate change and rising household incomes will create the desire and the opportunity for more air-conditioner use. Reducing dependence on air-conditioners to cope with hot weather will require a radical change of mindset – using fundamental principles of human physiology and thermodynamics.
