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Brrr... Turn Off the Air Conditioner

Natalia Rivera
/
Creative Commons

It's summer and 90 degrees -- so why am I freezing at the office?

A recent New York Times article on air conditioninghas sparked a debate on whether air conditioning is a necessity or an indulgence.

Some say air conditioning has been a part of our lives for less than a century, yet we increasingly rely on it as soon as the weather makes us feel the slightest bit uncomfortable. We're not only losing our ability to adapt, the resulting green-house gas emissions are contributing to climate change. And public buildings are way colder than they need to be for comfort.

Others say: wait; It's a matter of public health. Heat waves are deadly for hundreds of Americans every year, mostly black,  poor, or elderly. The CDC says black Americans are 2.6 times more likely to die from heat than white Americans.  

As wealth and the demand for finite resources grows worldwide, the production of lots of things, like food and drinkable water, will hurt the earth. Why are we picking on air-conditioning? It increases productivity, saves lives and cooling us down wastes a lot less energy than  heating us up  in the winter.

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Colin McEnroe is the host of the Colin McEnroe Show. Tucker Ives was today's technical producer.

Betsy started as an intern at WNPR in 2011 after earning a Master's Degree in American and Museum Studies from Trinity College. She served as the Senior Producer for 'The Colin McEnroe Show' for several years before stepping down in 2021 and returning to her previous career as a registered nurse. She still produces shows with Colin and the team when her schedule allows.

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