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Look at this empty diagram of a air conditioner. Identify as many elements as you can. Explain how the system works in English.  

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Look at this empty diagram of a air conditioner. Identify as many elements as you can. Explain how the system works in English.  

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B. Tough choices for Germany as coal power stations return to keep people warm this winter

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B. Tough choices for Germany as coal power stations return to keep people warm this winter

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In Germany, coal is making something of a comeback.

A power station once marked for closure in the town of Bexbach is being resurrected. For the last few years, the plant was in the "grid reserve", meaning it was called upon to supplement shortages in the power network a few days a year.Now, it's one of more than 20 which could come back online full time to help fill the gap left by dwindling energy supplies from Russia.
Michael Lux, the manager at Bexbach, said: "We need energy in Germany, and we need energy in Europe, and there is lack of energy...You don't want to imagine if people have to live in cold houses."

Germany has pledged to totally cut its coal use by 2038, with the government ideally hoping to phase it out by 2030, but the war in Ukraine has forced a temporary resurgence.

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In Germany, coal is making something of a comeback.

A power station once marked for closure in the town of Bexbach is being resurrected.

For the last few years, the plant was in the "grid reserve", meaning it was called upon to supplement shortages in the power network a few days a year.

Now, it's one of more than 20 which could come back online full time to help fill the gap left by dwindling energy supplies from Russia.

Michael Lux, the manager at Bexbach, said: "We need energy in Germany, and we need energy in Europe, and there is lack of energy...You don't want to imagine if people have to live in cold houses."

Germany has pledged to totally cut its coal use by 2038, with the government ideally hoping to phase it out by 2030, but the war in Ukraine has forced a temporary resurgence.

Since July, Russia has slashed gas flowing to Germany via the Nord Stream 1 pipeline to 20% of its capacity.

This week, flows to Europe will halt altogether as the pipeline is switched off for three days of maintenance.

The German government is looking at long term solutions like boosting renewable energy sources and importing liquified natural gas (LNG), but these take time - the mothballed coal plants can start producing power almost immediately.

For the moment, Bexbach, and its sister plant at Weiher, will operate until April 2023, with the possibility of an extension to spring 2024.
'Little choice' but to turn back to coal
To guarantee Bexbach can supply energy over the winter, it needs to be fully operational by November.

Seventy-year-old Horst Haefner has come out of retirement to help.

Like many Germans, he is far from ecstatic about turning back to coal power, but admits they have little choice.

"We have to replace the gas and the price of energy has gone up tremendously," he said.

Making sure the power station can operate full time is also technically difficult.

For a start, many of the workers are reaching retirement and their skills can't be learned overnight.

From his seat in Bexbach's control room, Martin Giesen is all too aware of the challenges.

"We have staffing problems; they can't be explained away.

"We have logistical problems with the fuel.

"We have logistical problems with the additives that are needed.

"We have technical problems with a 40-year-old power plant that has not been well maintained over the last few years because there are no staff left, and that's the way it is.....We do our best," he explained.
Terrified customers have started fights on coal shop floor
These aren't the only concerns.

While it might help to keep the lights on, coal is the world's dirtiest fossil fuel.

Having lived in the shadow of the power plant for 15 years, beekeeper Ron Silver believes the climate is being sacrificed to solve the current crisis.

" I think it's stupid," he said.

"It's a decision made by people who are using the fact that the population in Germany is afraid that they won't have electricity, which is not true."

But coal seller Frithjof Engelke has witnessed this fear first-hand.

Customers terrified they won't get their fuel supplies have started fights on the shop floor.

"Many customers are really scared, they're very worried that there's nothing there to heat," Frithjof said.

"They don't hit each other yet, but the fear is great and everyone wants [the coal]."

Germany's leaders are confident they can keep people warm this winter.

The government has said gas storage facilities are already more than 80% full.

On Tuesday, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen insisted that the continent is accelerating the transition to renewable energy.

She said: "Putin's attempt to blackmail us with fossil fuels is failing.

"We are accelerating the green transition. We are getting rid of the dependency of Russian fossil fuels, and we are accelerating the renewable, clean, cheaper and home-grown renewable energy."

Seven Baltic Sea countries - Finland, Sweden, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Denmark - have announced a seven-fold increase of wind power production by 2030 as a way to free the region from its dependence on Russian natural gas.

But in Germany, the solution to the energy crisis involves a painful compromise for the green coalition, which finds itself forced once again to lean on the planet's most polluting fossil fuel.

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Tough choices for Germany as coal power stations return to keep people warm this winter

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In Germany, coal is making something of a comeback. A power station once marked for closure in the town of Bexbach is being resurrected. For the last few years, the plant was in the "grid reserve", meaning it was called upon to supplement shortages in the power network a few days a year.

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C. Drought and heatwaves: How is Europe tackling unprecedented water shortages?

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C. Drought and heatwaves: How is Europe tackling unprecedented water shortages?

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Soaring temperatures and a conspicuous lack of rainfall have left many European countries grappling with historic droughts this summer.

This is having wide-reaching effects across the region, significantly impacting agriculture, energy production and water supplies.

But how is each European country being affected and what are local authorities doing to combat the problems caused by these extreme temperatures?

France

The French government has set up a crisis team to tackle a historic drought that has left more than 100 municipalities short of drinking water.

Trucks are taking water to those areas as "there is nothing left in the pipes", said Christophe Béchu, the country's minister for ecological transition.

"This is a situation like nothing we've ever seen... And the bad news is that, as far as we can see, there's no reason to think that it will stop."

Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne has warned that France is facing the "most severe drought" ever recorded in the country.

The heatwave that has baked the country since June has prompted trees and bushes to shed their leaves early, creating scenes that look autumnal.

After a brief cooling-off in some regions, the French national meteorological service Météo-France is forecasting further increases in temperatures this week and still drier soil despite recent storms.

Temperatures well above 30°C and rising to as high as 37°C in parts of the south are forecast from Monday and over the next few days.

"Maximum temperatures between 32°C and 36°C could very probably remain for a long time over a large part of the country," said Météo-France.

Italy

In Rome, residents and tourists have cooled off at the many water fountains dotted across the city.

Popular tourist destinations in Italy such as Florence and Palermo are among 16 Italian cities on the "red alert" list, with temperatures topping 40°C.

Several municipalities have already announced water rationing, including the popular cities of Verona and Pisa.

Rice production in the river Po Valley is under severe threat as drought and hot weather continue to cause paddy fields to completely dry up and become salty from use of aquifers.

Farmers say harvests of the rice used for risotto could be damaged for years by the increased salt content in the earth, which is killing off plants.

Part of a €17 billion package of government measures to tackle the cost-of-living crisis in Italy is also aimed at mitigating the effects of the drought, the worst in 70 years in the country.

Last month Italy's agriculture minister warned parliament that a third of Italy's agricultural production was at risk because of drought and poor water infrastructure and that the situation is only going to get worse in years to come.
The Netherlands
Dutch minister of infrastructure and water management Mark Harbers has called on people to shower quicker and not to wash their cars or water the garden.

Houseboat owners in Arnhem say the difference between the summer and winter water levels is so great that the boats are lying at an angle.

The Netherlands on Wednesday declared an official water shortage, having already imposed limits on agriculture and shipping.

The government warned that the drought is expected to "continue for some time" and further measures to conserve water during the drought were being considered - while assuring that sufficient drinking water remains available.

The country is protected from water by a famous system of dams, dikes and canals, but with about a third of its land area below sea level, it remains particularly vulnerable to climate change.

Some regions of the Netherlands, the world's second-largest agricultural exporter after the United States, have already banned farmers from watering their crops with surface water. Some canal locks for navigation have been closed.

Priority would now be given to the safety of the Dutch dyke system, followed by drinking water and energy supplies, according to the government.

Germany

Levels on the Rhine in Germany, one of Europe's key waterways, have also plummeted in the hot weather.

Last week, authorities warned that the river was just days away from being closed to commercial traffic because of abnormally low levels of water caused by drought.

Already shipping costs have risen because vessels cannot sail on the Rhine fully loaded, vessel brokers said on Friday.

Freight ships on the river have been forced to sail 75% empty.

"Customers would often need three vessels to transport their cargo instead of one," said Roberto Spranzi, director of the DTG shipping cooperative.

Shipping capacity is already tight because of increased demand after Germany's move to increase coal-fired electricity generation as it braces for reduced gas supplies from Russia, Spranzi added.

Low water levels on the Rhine will also hit output from two German coal-fired power stations in the coming months, since they interrupt coal delivery supplies along the river.

Romania

In Romania, water levels on the Danube have dropped so much that sand islands surfaced in the Calafat region.

The amount of water in the Danube, which has inspired poets and musicians for centuries, is now close to an all-time low.

The government plans to increase investment in irrigation projects to limit crop damage in the future.

On Wednesday the European Commission called on member states to re-use treated urban wastewater for agricultural irrigation.

Other parts of Europe have also witnessed torrid conditions in the early summer.

The harsh drought in some parts of the country is expected to diminish Romania's cereals crop by 30 million tonnes.

About 75% of Romania's land surface is affected by various phases of drought.

In Vrancea County, the hardest-hit region, crops on 70% of the agricultural area are entirely damaged, according to Romania Insider.

Portugal

Portugal last month recorded its hottest July since records began in 1931, the country's weather service IPMA said on Friday.

The heat worsened Portugal's environmental troubles, with 99% of the country in severe or extreme drought.

45% of the Portuguese mainland was in "extreme drought" - the highest classification - and the rest in "severe" drought, the second-highest, at the end of July.

The average temperature was 25.14°C, the IPMA said, almost three degrees Celsius higher than the expected July average.

National rainfall measured 3 millimetres, around 22% of the normal amount.

In July, Portugal announced it would cut irrigation of golf courses and green spaces in its tourism-dependent Algarve region to avert water rationing for human consumption.

Environment Minister Duarte Cordeiro said the restrictive measure in the Algarve had been freely agreed by the government and Algarve's AHETA hotels association, and would save 100 million litres of water in the coming summer months.

In Portugal, where more than 10 million people live, the daily consumption of water is 18 litres per capita.

Additional sources * AFP, AP, Reuters

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How is Europe tackling unprecedented water shortages?

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Soaring temperatures and a conspicuous lack of rainfall have left many European countries grappling with historic droughts this summer. This is having wide-reaching effects across the region, significantly impacting agriculture, energy production and water supplies. But how is each European country being affected and what are local authorities doing to combat the problems caused by these extreme temperatures?

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LONDON, Aug 24 (Reuters) - Another dramatic spike in natural gas prices appears to have ended any hopes that Europe's inflation battle is set to ease, with financial markets now bracing for higher prices, a faster pace of interest rate hikes and a deeper economic downturn.

Just a few weeks ago, signs that inflation in the United States - which tends to lead world economic shifts - might be peaking boosted stocks and lowered government borrowing costs. Investors bet central banks would now pay more attention to slowing economies, with a peak in the rate-hiking cycle nearing.

Instead, this week began with a forecast from U.S. bank Citi that UK inflation would rocket to a near half-century high of 18.6% by January, a prediction that dominated British newspaper front pages on Tuesday.

That landed as another explosive rise in natural gas prices showed little sign of slowing, with Russia signalling further squeezes on exports and European buyers scrambling for supplies before winter.

Gas prices have surged almost 40% in August and nearly 300% this year.

"The key is energy, energy, energy. There is an energy crisis, let's be honest about that, electricity prices are 10 times pre-COVID levels, that is a shock to the system," said Thomas Costerg, senior economist at Pictet Wealth Management.

"The U.S. and Europe are on different paths. We all knew that the Achilles' heel of Europe is foreign energy and now they are paying the price for that," he said, referring to European reliance on Russian gas.

Reuters Graphics

'COMPLETELY REVERSED'

So it's no surprise the mood has soured fast. World stocks (.MIWD00000PUS) have shed 4.3% from a 3-1/2 month high last Tuesday, the euro has pushed back below $1 and U.S. 10-year Treasury yields are back at 3%.

Monica Defend, head of the Amundi Institute, predicts a fall in the euro to $0.96 by December because of Europe's weak economy.

Euro trashed

Concern is growing that central bankers, gathering at this week's Jackson Hole symposium, are laying the ground for more aggressive rate hikes than previously expected. Without some certainty about when the hiking will end, investors are nervous.

"The market was increasingly confident that recession is going to be the dominant theme, that central banks were going to be more conciliatory or relaxed in their policy tightening," said Richard McGuire, head of rates strategy at Rabobank. "Since the beginning of last week that has completely reversed."

HIGHER INFLATION

Just take a look at market-based measures of inflation expectations. Short-term gauges in the euro zone and Britain jumped to record highs this week. ,

One long-term gauge watched by the European Central Bank (ECB) in the euro zone rose to 2.24% on Tuesday, after falling below the ECB's 2% target in July. .

ECB policymaker Isabel Schnabel warned last week that inflation expectations may be getting "de-anchored", central bank speak for a loss of trust in the bank's willingness to deliver on its mandate. read more

Societe Generale strategist Kenneth Broux called Schnabel's comments a "seminal moment", with central bankers concerned inflation won't ease fast enough.

In Britain, a similar inflation gauge rose to 3.82% this week, from 3.4% in late July.

Two-year British government bond yields, trading at their highest since 2008, saw their biggest weekly jump since 2010 after data last week showed inflation hit 10.1% in July. Investors on Tuesday were betting the Bank of England would not stop hiking until June 2023 and rates are around 4.2%. Before the inflation reading, they expected a peak of 3.25% in March.

Euro zone markets have also raised where they think ECB rates will peak next year, by about 50 basis points to around 2%, Refinitiv data shows.

Reuters Graphics

Craig Inches, head of rates and cash at Royal London Asset Management, said the rise in market-based inflation gauges showed markets were now focused on "the next round of inflationary impact". Causes range from a European drought, to the gas crisis and pandemic-related supply constraints in China.

"There seem to be numerous stories that can point to more entrenched, embedded inflation," he said, adding markets were now asking themselves "how high do interest rates need to go"?

Inflation expectations are rising in the United States too, but the outlook for Europe looks much gloomier.

"Inflation in Europe was expected to rise in the fourth quarter but the scale of the rise we're now facing is a new event because of the renewed surge in gas prices," said Holger Schmieding, chief economist at Berenberg.

"That is a new shock that was not foreseen a few weeks ago."

Additional reporting by Huw Jones and Marc Jones Editing by Mark Potter

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Senior correspondent on the London markets team covering European sovereign bond markets and big macro and financial themes.

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Analysis: 'New shock' for European markets as gas price spike fuels inflation fears

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Another dramatic spike in natural gas prices appears to have ended any hopes that Europe's inflation battle is set to ease, with financial markets now bracing for higher prices, a faster pace of interest rate hikes and a deeper economic downturn.

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Watch the video and check your hypotheses. Identify the different parts of an AC. 

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Watch the video and check your hypotheses. Identify the different parts of an AC. 

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scorching = very hot
maintain room temperature
remove air particles
a device
cooling
a cooling system
the heat
a coil
refrigerant fluid
condenser
evaporator
keep sth cold / hot
absorb sth
eject sth
a compressor
an expansion valve
a fan

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How to keep cool while the world gets hotter

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Doc A. Air-Conditioning Is Crucial to Modern Life

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Doc A. Air-Conditioning Is Crucial to Modern Life

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Ed Bosco, a LEED accredited professional engineer, is the managing principal of the New York office of ME Engineers.

JUNE 21, 2012

Air-conditioning is a necessary luxury. For thousands of years before the invention of air-conditioning in 1902, humans survived high heat and humidity by constructing protective shelters and limiting their activity during the hottest times of the year. Air-conditioning puts us in control of our comfort and frees us from the discomfort, risk and uncertainty of the weather.

Without air-conditioning, we would have to live and work differently: no data centers or Internet, no big office buildings, no preseason football in Arizona.

The availability of air-conditioning allows architects to consider building geometries that were not possible when it was critical that everyone be seated near a window. This allows larger floor plates that encourage collaboration and permit the high densities of our modern cities.

Air-conditioning makes it possible to construct the data centers that power commerce, the Internet and research. Without air-conditioning, we would lose our ability to work and communicate as a modern society.

Air-conditioning makes it possible to comfortably assemble in large groups. Over the past 30 years, the proliferation of sports venues with fixed or operable roofs has changed the way we experience sports and allowed the expansion of professional sports into warmer regions. The Phoenix Cardinals now have an air-conditioned retractable-roof stadium, an indoor oasis that can be cooled below 80 degrees in a climate where the temperatures can exceed 100 degrees. This allowed the team to host preseason and opening weekend home games for the first time since moving to Arizona in 1988.

Engineers are now working on designs that will make it possible for crowds of more than 80,000 people to experience spectator sports in the hot desert sands of the Middle East. (...)
https://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2012/06/21/should-air-conditioning-go-global-or-be-rationed-away/air-conditioning-is-crucial-to-modern-life

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Ed Bosco, a LEED accredited professional engineer, is the managing principal of the New York office of ME Engineers.

Air-conditioning is a necessary luxury. For thousands of years before the invention of air-conditioning in 1902, humans survived high heat and humidity by constructing protective shelters and limiting their activity during the hottest times of the year. Air-conditioning puts us in control of our comfort and frees us from the discomfort, risk and uncertainty of the weather.

Without air-conditioning, we would have to live and work differently: no data centers or Internet, no big office buildings, no preseason football in Arizona.

The availability of air-conditioning allows architects to consider building geometries that were not possible when it was critical that everyone be seated near a window. This allows larger floor plates that encourage collaboration and permit the high densities of our modern cities.

Air-conditioning makes it possible to construct the data centers that power commerce, the Internet and research. Without air-conditioning, we would lose our ability to work and communicate as a modern society.

Air-conditioning makes it possible to comfortably assemble in large groups. Over the past 30 years, the proliferation of sports venues with fixed or operable roofs has changed the way we experience sports and allowed the expansion of professional sports into warmer regions. The Phoenix Cardinals now have an air-conditioned retractable-roof stadium, an indoor oasis that can be cooled below 80 degrees in a climate where the temperatures can exceed 100 degrees. This allowed the team to host preseason and opening weekend home games for the first time since moving to Arizona in 1988.

Engineers are now working on designs that will make it possible for crowds of more than 80,000 people to experience spectator sports in the hot desert sands of the Middle East. Operable roofs make public assembly buildings sustainable by allowing the use of low-energy natural ventilation when possible and higher-energy air-conditioning only when necessary.

Join Opinion on Facebook and follow updates on twitter.com/roomfordebate.

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Air-Conditioning Is Crucial to Modern Life

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Ed Bosco, a LEED accredited professional engineer, is the managing principal of the New York office of ME Engineers. Air-conditioning is a necessary luxury. For thousands of years before the invention of air-conditioning in 1902, humans survived high heat and humidity by constructing protective shelters and limiting their activity during the hottest times of the year.

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Is air conditioning a luxury or a necessity ? 

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Is air conditioning a luxury or a necessity ? 

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Doc B. Air conditioning is a necessity, not a luxury — despite the emissions and energy costs, advocates say

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Doc B. Air conditioning is a necessity, not a luxury — despite the emissions and energy costs, advocates say

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British Columbia

Critics say B.C. (British Columbia)'s current response to heat emergencies is not helpful for vulnerable people.

Akshay Kulkarni · CBC News · Posted: Aug 07, 2022 6:00 AM PT | Last Updated: August 7

Air conditioning units for sale at a Canadian Tire store in Vancouver in June. The province should be working to give air conditioners to help vulnerable people, advocates say. (Ben Nelms/CBC)

B.C. planners and policy analysts say the benefits of air conditioners during extreme heat situations are very clear — and concerns over their environmental and financial impact show misplaced priorities.

During last year's deadly heat dome in B.C., authorities found over two-thirds of the 619 people that died did not have air conditioning in their homes.

With extreme heat events more likely in future due to climate change, advocates are asking the province to provide vulnerable people with air conditioning units.

Data shows air conditioner use is already on the rise in B.C., leading to an associated energy and emissions toll — including one instance of the province's public housing authority switching off cooling in some of its properties to save energy.

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Mots et expressions utiles dans un débat

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be a lifesaver
necessary for someone
to survive
get worse
the elderly
be more likely to
be considered a human right
server farms
keep sth cool
threaten
a heatwave
global warming
a progress
a breakthrough
make sth hotter
produce carbon emissions
heat up

to warm

cool down

greenhouse effect

the demand
insulation
death rate

a nature-based approach

to design a building

the heat-island effect
increase/ reinforce inequalities
the divide between the rich and the poor

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How do say in English ... ?

A.
faire tomber
un avertissement
on s'attend à ce que ...
monter en flèche
la climatisation
atteindre
la chaleur
l'augmentation

B.
le charbon
une centrale
sale
carburant / source d'énergie
the grid
be called upon
l'approvisionnement
s'engager à

C.
la sécheresse
une vague de chaleur
une pénurie
un manque de
la pluie

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Elderly in China Have to "Cool Off" in Grocery Stores #shorts

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Doc D. Air-Conditioning Should Be a Human Right in the Climate Crisis

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Doc D. Air-Conditioning Should Be a Human Right in the Climate Crisis

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We need to protect vulnerable people from killer heat without destroying the environment
By Rose M. Mutiso, Morgan D. Bazilian, Jacob Kincer, Brooke Bowser on May 10, 2022

A record-breaking heat wave is sweeping South Asia, threatening hundreds of millions of people with deadly temperatures well above 100 degrees Fahrenheit. As the world heats up, billions of people need air-conditioning. This 120-year-old technology used to be considered a luxury, but in the age of climate change, it is a necessity for human survival. Understandably, this has created anxiety over the climate threat of a world overrun with ACs. But the coming boom in air-conditioning is an essential shift toward reducing the enormous gap in cooling availability that exists between rich and poor people and nations—and toward producing a more equitable world.

Of the two billion AC units currently in use across the globe, the majority are heavily concentrated in wealthy countries in North America and East Asia (with Europe, which generally has a milder climate, in a distant third). In the hottest regions of the world, AC ownership is just 12 percent compared to more than 90 percent in the U.S. and Japan. But as populations become wealthier and temperatures continue to rise, this trend will change—dramatically.

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Doc B. Air-Conditioning Made Architects Lazy

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Doc B. Air-Conditioning Made Architects Lazy

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Air-conditioning is a 20th century idea.

Our early ancestors avoided the heat by retreating into the cave or the shade of a tree, and engaging in strenuous activity only during the cooler or breezier part of the day. Early vernacular buildings developed using these universal principals, carefully orienting and shading buildings so that they gained heat in winter and were shady in summer, introducing thermal mass in dry climates, and in more humid ones using cross ventilation, porches, shutters, ceiling fans, solar chimneys and insulation.

Architects used to take advantage of breezes, shade and insulation. Now many just plug in an air-conditioner.

Air-conditioning made architects and builders lazy. Why use vernacular principles and passive cooling when you can simply build the same box in any climate, face it in any direction, plug an air-conditioner into it, and cool it with money and energy, rather than with natural processes. Air-conditioning uses energy to force indoor air outside, which is expensive and produces greenhouse gases, which warms things up even more. It has made marginally habitable places like Las Vegas and Dubai into energy-gobbling population centers, roasting the planet in the process.

https://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2012/06/21/should-air-conditioning-go-global-or-be-rationed-away/air-conditioning-made-architects-lazy

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Air-Conditioning Made Architects Lazy - NYTimes.com

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Architects used to take advantage of breezes, shade and insulation. Now many just plug in an air-conditioner.

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Doc C. AC Feels Great, But It’s Terrible for the Planet. Here’s How to Fix That. 

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Doc C. AC Feels Great, But It’s Terrible for the Planet. Here’s How to Fix That. 

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For the past few days, a heatwave has glowered over the Pacific Northwest, forcing temperatures in the region to a record-breaking 118ºF. Few people in the region—neither Americans nor Canadians—have air-conditioning. Stores sold out of new AC units in hours as a panicked public sought a reasonable solution to the emergency. Unfortunately, air-conditioning is part of what’s causing the unusual heatwave in the first place.

(...) Despite what we assume, (...) individual air-conditioning is terribly ineffective. It works only for those who can afford it. But even then, their use in urban areas only makes the surrounding micro-climate hotter, sometimes by a factor of 10ºF, actively threatening the lives of those who don’t have access to cooling. (The sociologist Eric Klinenberg has brilliantly studied how, in a 1995 Chicago heat wave, about twice as many people died in poor neighborhoods than in a comparable heat wave forty years earlier (...) .) Ironically, research suggests that exposure to constant air-conditioning can prevent our bodies from acclimatizing to hot weather, so those who subject themselves to “thermal monotony” are, in the end, making themselves more vulnerable to heat-related illness.

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ir conditioning was a luxury in Britain 40 years ago, but the long hot summer of 1976 changed that. The scorching heat that summer lasted two months and most people sweated it out indoors with only open windows and electric fans for ventilation. After that, air conditioning no longer seemed so extravagant and its popularity soared.

Air conditioners consume huge amounts of energy, though, and that's adding to climate change. The US uses as much electricity to keep buildings cool as the whole of Africa uses for all its electrical needs. That power largely comes from polluting power stations, adding to the warmer climate.

And air-conditioning in vehicles burns more fuel, making even more greenhouse gases. With the demand for air conditioning rising worldwide, it's reckoned that in around 30 years' time more energy could be used for cooling than for heating.

Air conditioning also pumps out heat straight into the atmosphere. Like a fridge, it takes heat from the inside of a building or car, then transfers it to the warm outside. That extra heat makes cities hotter, raising night-time temperatures by up to 2C, which then encourages people to turn up their air conditioning even higher.

And there's another sting to keeping cool. Air conditioning systems also use powerful greenhouse gases called hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), thousands of times more potent than carbon dioxide. These gases leak out into the atmosphere, especially from vehicles, and global emissions of HFCs rose by more than half between 2007 and 2012, adding to the burden of climate change even more.

And as the climate grows hotter, there's more need to stay cool. It's a vicious circle.

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Why air conditioning is a vicious circle

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ir conditioning was a luxury in Britain 40 years ago, but the long hot summer of 1976 changed that. The scorching heat that summer lasted two months and most people sweated it out indoors with only open windows and electric fans for ventilation. After that, air conditioning no longer seemed so extravagant and its popularity soared.