"Residents of the U.S. and other countries, cranking up their air conditioners, are helping to set records for consumption of fuels contributing to climate change"

"There’s a big winner in the record heat waves baking the United States, China and other countries — fossil fuels.

The United States is setting records for natural gas consumption this week at the power plants that keep the nation’s air conditioners humming, according to estimates from S&P Global Commodity Insights. In China, power plants are burning more coal to keep up with electricity needs, helping to feed a record pace in demand this year for the world’s largest source of carbon dioxide, the International Energy Agency said Thursday.

That demand is feeding what the Paris energy watchdog calls a “vicious cycle” that further boosts world temperatures. As heat waves multiply and intensify, it creates more demand for fossil fuels, which add to the greenhouse-gas emissions that intensify extreme heat around the world."

Timothy Puko reports for the Washington Post July 28, 2023. [2]

SEE ALSO:

"Air Conditioning: The Benefits, Problems And Alternatives" (Guardian) [3]

"As Heat Waves Intensify, Europe’s Cities Rely on Age-Old Ways to Stay Cool" (New York Times) [4]