परिचय
Cooling from air‑conditioning saves more than 5,000 lives a year in the United States. A new study in Nature Health shows it prevented nearly 58,000 deaths between 2010‑2020. At the same time, the surge in cooling needs is adding a huge amount of greenhouse gas emissions and straining power grids.
मुख्य विकास
- 2024 ने यू.एस. में cooling degree days का रिकॉर्ड स्थापित किया; 2026 इसे तोड़ने की राह पर है।
- The IEA projects worldwide electricity demand for cooling to triple.
- UN‑UNEP predicts emissions from air‑conditioning could rise from 4.5 bn to 7.2 bn tonnes of CO₂ equivalent in the next 25 years.
- Eight countries (Bangladesh, Cambodia, Jordan, Malaysia, Philippines, Seychelles, Singapore, Sri Lanka) have capped indoor temperatures or mandated weekly shutdowns to curb demand.
- The Global Cooling Pledge will be reviewed in September in Singapore.
महत्वपूर्ण तथ्य
The study examined 30 million U.S. death records over 11 years, using county‑level heat thresholds. The highest life‑saving impact was in hot states such as Arizona, Florida, Texas, Louisiana, and parts of Nevada, Alabama, and Mississippi. Northern states saved fewer than ten lives annually.
On average, air‑conditioning prevented 5,267 deaths per year. However, more than half of the cooling observed was deemed “overuse,” often keeping offices at 75 °F (24 °C) or lower, which does not add extra lives but raises emissions.
Urban areas suffer from the urban heat island effect. Exhaust heat from AC units adds to this, worsening local conditions.