when air conditioning, harmful to the environment, seduces even fervent environmentalists

Ten departments are placed in heat wave orange vigilance by Météo France on July 19. Peaks of more than 40 degrees are expected locally, especially in Provence, Corsica and Occitania. These extreme temperatures favor the use of air conditioning, even among ecologists.

France is suffocating: 10 departments are on heat wave orange alert on Wednesday July 19. Ihe Bouches-du-Rhône, Gard and Hérault joined the Alpes-Maritimes, Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, Var, Vaucluse, Corse-du-Sud, Haute-Corse and Pyrénées- Oriental. Locally, in Provence and Corsica, in particular, we expect more than 40 degrees. On July 18, many temperature records have already been broken.

MAP. What are the previous summer heat records near you?

While the country, like much of Europe, is suffocating under the effect of a heat dome, the use of air conditioning systems seems inevitable for some. They are more and more numerous according to ADEME, the agency for ecological transition. Thus, 14% of households had air conditioning in 2016, 25% in 2020, and even the most fervent environmentalists are equipping themselves.

Antoine, who lives in the south of France, confides it: with his partner, they are very careful about what they consume, their movements, their carbon footprint… But they could not resist the purchase of an air conditioner. “For me, it was just a backup solution for the hottest nights, he explains to franceinfo. I must admit that we gradually converted to air conditioning, including during our teleworking periods, since we work a lot from home.“.

Air conditioning, symbol of “mal-adaptation”

The concern with air conditioning is its use, which perfectly illustrates what is called “mal-adaptation”: by trying to adapt to the impacts of climate change, humans are aggravating the problem. Indeed, air conditioning increases greenhouse gas emissions because of the enormous consumption of electricity it requires and the refrigerant gases used, because it rejects heat.

We don’t know how to create cold, we just know how to take heat somewhere to transmit it elsewhere“, warns Vincent Viguié, researcher in economics and environmental science at the international center for research on the environment and development. “We had done a project with researchers from Météo France in which we simulated what would happen if the air conditioning was used by everyone in Parissays the expert. In this case, continues Vincent Viguié, it is simulated that this increases the temperature by around two degrees in the streets in the event of a heat wave, which makes these heat episodes more serious for those who do not want to use air conditioning“.

Using the air conditioning, “it torments us a little”

Air conditioning is harmful in several ways. Antoine recognizes that with his companion, they talk about it “almost every day, so it’s something we’re not very comfortable with, it torments us a bit. In a kind of domestic pact, we assume“.

For climate experts, air conditioning can reduce the health impact of heat waves, in retirement homes and hospitals in particular. It is the inconsiderate use that is problematic: the government recommends, for example, maintaining the temperature at 26 degrees.


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