The Cruel Irony Of Air Conditioning

The technology we use to keep cool is heating the world in a vicious feedback cycle, so we need to improve it and use it less.

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To learn more, start your googling with this keyword:
Refrigerant - a substance used in air conditioners & refrigerators for its ability to change phases and transfer heat
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If you liked this week’s video, you might also like:
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Credits (and Twitter handles):
Script Writer & Video Narrator: Alex Reich
Video Illustrator: Arcadi Garcia Rius
Video Director: Julián Gustavo Gómez
With Contributions From: Henry Reich, Kate Yoshida, Ever Salazar, Peter Reich, David Goldenberg, Sarah Berman
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References:

Graves, R. Pers. comm. May 2019.

[antivanti]

There was a guy that moved from here in cold northern Sweden to sunny, hot California. When he built his house he built it like we do here with LOTS of insulation. People laughed at him but he saved a ton on air conditioning because once the house was cooled it stayed cool without having to run the AC constantly because the heat outside couldn't get in.

[duchi]

*Air Condition:* I became the very thing I swore to destroy

[dancepiglover]

I remember one hot day when my friend and I were on a walk. We saw a small area of overgrowth with plants and flowers that were a little higher than our heads. We decided to check it out and couldn't BELIEVE the temperature difference within it! Must have been about 10 degrees (Fahrenheit) cooler.

[judestefanik]

so simple solution: install air conditioners backwards so the outside cools off

[DoctorX]

I love that the "This is fine" dog made a cameo

[arbazna]

AC "burns fossil" the same way the electric car does, but changing the electrical generation mix to Nuclear (France, for example) or renewable, the problem can be somewhat offset.

[doggirlygamerlopezsolerfra]

THEY USED A MEME AT THE END
THE THIS IS FINE DOG
I KNEW THE DAY WOULD COME!

[wbenm]

Thank you, I live in 50C summer country and I witnessed the exact thing happening, air conditioners were expensive and the max temperature was 43 44 now every house has one in each room, stores, shopping centres ... the sad part is when I talk about this people laugh and don’t believe 😔

[manchest_hair_united]

I like jokes. But jokes about air conditioners?
Not a fan.

[gadyariv]

I live in an arid semi-desert, but because my house is surrounded by huge trees (trees that don't need lots of irrigation) my house is always cool, so I don't use air conditioning
at home.
Trees are natural Air Conditioning devices, and they don't produce CO2. remove your lawns and flower beds and try surrounding your selves with more trees.

[TarunKumar-uogn]

Your you tube video is outdated about air conditioners:

1) Modern Aircons use newer coolants and very soon may even use Co2 coolants as well. These coolants have only 1-4x times warming capacity of CO2 and not thousands of times as you are saying and through proper disposal they will not contribute anything to global warming as these coolants are buried deep inside earth.
2) The total heat released by aircon does create heat islands in cities but its impact in raising temperature is minuscule compared total atmospheric heat.
3) The only way in which aircons contribute to global warming is by consuming more electricity which uses more energy burning more fossil fuels but with greater use of renewable energy, even these could become redundant.

[littlepurplebluegirl]

I appreciate how these videos offer solutions / alternatives that individuals (as well as policy makers and institutions) can implement. Keep on educating and promoting change!

[johntheux]

Well, to pump the heat from inside the house to outside has exactly the same effect than prevent it to enter in the first place. That's not an issue. The issue is the additionnal heat due to the power consumption.
Edit: so many likes, thank's! That surprised me because i was sure people would disagree.

[nekokoishi]

Air conditioning is just a cool way to heat up the planet :3

[snowwonder]

Fortunately, Atlanta is already very tree covered, keeping much of the city beautiful and nice and cool!

[shiNIN]

Insulation helps with heating and cooling the house alike. I use my A/C almost exclusively only for heating... Way more effective than the electric heating I used (that was only 100%). I feel pretty good about using A/C.

[ShadSterling]

Isn't using a reversible heat pump more efficient than just burning fuels? So we pump the heat out when we want it cooler inside, and we pump the heat in when we want it warmer inside. I've also started to want an all-in-one unit that uses the waste heat from the AC to help the water heater.

[adriancoric]

nowadays air conditioners use eco friendly gases, and if ACs cool our homes and let out heat in the summer (heating the earth additionally) isn't that effect counteracted in winter when we heat our homes with ACs, generating hot air inside our homes and letting that cold air out again ?

[wojtekpolska]

0:00 You are under arrest for holding a salomon suspiciously

[AdrianLikesFlags]

Me: is that the "this is fine" dog?
Dog: this is fine
Me: bruh...