Air conditioning to combat summer heat waves leads to an increase in deadly pollution The Independent

While air conditioning can literally be a lifesaver in a rapidly warming climate, scientists have warned that it poses major health problems in itself.

If climate change continues at its current pace, heat waves are expected to intensify globally from France to India.

Experts estimate that in the last ten years alone the number of people lost in heat waves has increased by more than 2,000 percent.

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One way to address this problem is to bring more air conditioners to the market. However, according to Professor Jonathan Patz of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, this means swapping one problem for another.

“Heat waves are increasing all the time. We will have more cooling needs and more electricity, ”he said.

“If our nation continues to rely on coal-fired power plants for some of our electricity, every time we turn on the air conditioning we will pollute the air and cause more disease and even death.”

In a new study published in the journal PLOS Medicine, Professor Patz and colleagues predicted that the increase in air pollution from the fossil fuels that power these systems will cause up to 1,000 additional deaths annually in the eastern United States alone .

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Thick smog is engulfing New Delhi as air pollution peaks in the city

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1/ 10Thick smog is engulfing New Delhi as air pollution peaks in the city

Thick smog is engulfing New Delhi as air pollution peaks in the city

A battery-powered tricyclic rickshaw drives past the Red Fort amid heavy smog in New Delhi

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Thick smog is engulfing New Delhi as air pollution peaks in the city

Indian visitors walk through the courtyard of Jama Masjid amid heavy smog

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Thick smog is engulfing New Delhi as air pollution peaks in the city

An Indian policeman wears a protective mask as he works near the India Gate

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Thick smog is engulfing New Delhi as air pollution peaks in the city

New Delhi with heavy smog

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Thick smog is engulfing New Delhi as air pollution peaks in the city

Indian commuters wait for transportation amid a thick blanket of smog on the outskirts of New Delhi

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Thick smog is engulfing New Delhi as air pollution peaks in the city

Prince Charles and Camilla arrived at Indira Gandhi International Airport on November 8, surrounded by smog

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Thick smog is engulfing New Delhi as air pollution peaks in the city

Prince Charles and Camilla leave their plane in New Delhi to smog

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Thick smog is engulfing New Delhi as air pollution peaks in the city

The morning sun is enveloped in a blanket of smog on the outskirts of New Delhi

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Thick smog is engulfing New Delhi as air pollution peaks in the city

Indian residents walk along a street amid heavy smog

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Thick smog is engulfing New Delhi as air pollution peaks in the city

A woman rides a scooter through the morning mist to drop a child off at school

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“We found that air pollution will get worse,” said David Abel, a graduate student who led the research. .

“There are consequences for adapting to future climate change.”

Buildings are the largest energy sink in the US, accounting for 60 percent of the electricity demand in the densely populated eastern region. Air conditioning accounts for a significant portion of this demand.

In their study, which simulated future energy use and pollution, the researchers found that between 5 and 9 percent of future deaths from air pollution could be related to air conditioning.

Air pollution is believed to be responsible for millions of deaths each year, with toxic gases and particles playing a role from cardiovascular disease to dementia.

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Ground-level ozone and particulate matter have been classified as particularly harmful to health, and both are emitted by fossil fuel power plants.

Although the researchers emphasized that air conditioning can and must save lives, systems must run on clean energy from wind and solar to avoid the harmful side effects.

“Climate change is here and we have to adapt,” Abel said.

“But air conditioning and the way we use energy will provide feedback that will increase air pollution as temperatures keep getting warmer.”

This feedback loop is exacerbated by the emission of strong greenhouse gases known as fluorocarbons (HFCs) from air conditioning systems, which store a thousand times as much heat in the atmosphere as carbon dioxide.

Studies over the past few years have shown that as the global demand for air conditioning has increased, so has HFC emissions, which has resulted in defective machines from leaking these dangerous chemicals.