Air pollution from air conditioning systems leads to a significant increase in deaths

Does the use of air conditioning affect our air quality??

The use of air conditioning systems can bring great benefits, especially in the summer and during a rapidly warming climate. However, researchers have now found that global warming, if sustained at current rates, will lead to more and more deaths. The air conditioners are to blame for that.

Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison found in their recent study that global warming and resulting heatwaves have increased the number of people who died from heat waves by more than 2,000 percent in the last decade alone. The use of air conditioners, which are operated with unclean energy, will increase this number even further. The physicians published the results of their study in the English language journal "PLOS Medicine".

The use of air conditioning requires electricity, which leads to its pollution in the air. With climate change, more and more people are using air conditioning, leading to more deaths worldwide from the effects of air pollution. (Image: Ralf Geithe / fotolia.com)

Intensity of heat waves will increase

If climate change continues to increase at its current rate, the intensity of heat waves could increase sharply worldwide, the researchers warn. One way to tackle this problem is to install more air conditioning systems. But according to study author Professor Jonathan Patz of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, this means swapping one problem for another.

Use of air conditioners can degrade air quality

Heat waves are increasing in intensity worldwide. The need for cooling will also increase and people will need more electricity. If countries continue to rely on coal-fired power plants for part of their electricity needs, turning on an air-conditioning system will continue to pollute the air, causing more illness and even death, says Professor Patz.

Adaptation to climate change has serious consequences

The increase in air pollution from fossil fuels, some of which power air conditioners, will cause as many as 1,000 additional deaths per year in the eastern US alone, the researchers estimate. The findings suggest that air pollution will be even worse in the future, says study author David Abel of the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Adaptation to future climate change has consequences. These consequences must be taken into account urgently. Buildings consume the most energy in the US. They account for about 60 percent of the electricity needs in the country's densely populated eastern region. The air conditioning is responsible for a significant part of the demand for electricity, explain the researchers.

How strong is the use of air conditioning??

In their study, which simulated future energy use and pollution levels, the researchers found that between five and nine percent of air-related deaths from future air pollution can be linked.

Ground-level ozone and particulate matter are particularly dangerous

Every year, air pollution is responsible for millions of deaths, with toxic gases and particles triggering various illnesses ranging from cardiovascular disease to dementia. Ground-level ozone and fine dust have proven to be particularly hazardous to health and are emitted by fossil power plants.

Air conditioners must be powered by clean energy

Although the researchers emphasized that air conditioners can save lives, these systems must be run on clean energy from wind and solar energy if the harmful side effects are to be avoided. Climate change is here and we need to adapt, explains Abel. But air conditioning and the way energy is consumed will increase air pollution as temperatures continue to rise. This vicious cycle is exacerbated by the emission of potent greenhouse gases known as fluorocarbons (HFCs) from air conditioning systems. Fluorocarbons store a thousand times more heat in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide, the scientists say. There have been studies in recent years which have indicated that global demand for air conditioning has increased. However, so-called HFC emissions have risen just as much. (As)