‘Why the left should embrace air conditioning as part of climate action’

Photo: Capturas E/Shutterstock

For the past few years, we have been seeing record-high summer temperatures, and this year has been no different. In East Thanet, we’re lucky to at least benefit from a refreshing sea breeze, but even that can be no match for the intense summer heat we’ve been experiencing more and more frequently.

The heatwaves have reignited the debate around air conditioning (AC), and whether we should be encouraging its use, especially in the context of the clean energy transition. Right-wing politicians have jumped on the bandwagon to claim there is a left-wing conspiracy against keeping our homes cool.

But I despair at people on the left and right who say climate action means we can’t have nice things. For me, there is nothing anti-climate about being pro-AC.

‘AC can help offset early deaths and reduce pressure on the NHS’

Firstly, we have to face the reality that summers are going to be getting hotter, and we need to account for that. Climate adaptation is a crucial aspect of the transition to net zero, and making our homes and workplaces liveable as the planet heats up is a vital part of this.

Extreme heat threatens people’s health at nearly every stage of our lives, and while the heat is already responsible for thousands of deaths, as climate change increases, tens of thousands more deaths are expected. If we do not act, it will be the poorest, the most vulnerable, and the frailest, who suffer the impacts most. AC can help offset these early deaths and health concerns, while reducing pressures on the NHS.

In the workplace, trade unions are increasing their campaigning for safer workplaces as the heat increases. But an underappreciated fact is that more and more often people’s homes are their workplaces – and they deserve the same protections and considerations as people at work.

READ MORE: ‘Labour’s real challenge is fixing Britain’s story, not just its problems’

‘We need to think about how to keep newbuild homes cool in the summer’

There are also concerning reports about how newbuild homes are trapping in heat and lack the ability to passively cool – including a recent article about a building that was 10 degrees hotter inside than outside. If we are building and retrofitting homes to stay warm in the winter, we need to think about how to cool them in the summer – especially for the most vulnerable, often in social housing.

The concerns amongst environmentalists and some on the left is that the increased energy consumption from AC will slow the transition to net zero. But while the excess energy use will need to be planned for, it is far from an unassailable issue.

In fact, the peak generation time for solar is between 9am – 5pm; exactly when AC is most needed and when non-domestic buildings like workplaces and schools are being used. If we increase solar capacity while deploying AC, we can help offset the excess energy demand.

The government should also encourage the use of air-to-air heat pumps, which are much more common in Europe. Despite what the name suggests, this model of heat pump can not only warm your home in the winter, but also cool it in the summer too.

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‘Picking the side of hot homes is not a winning political argument’

More existentially, I will never accept that the path to net zero comes from denying people the things they want. The promise of clean, cheap renewables should be no longer having to feel guilty switching on a light or turning on the AC. If people believe that net zero is preventing them cooling their homes during a heat wave, why would they continue to support it? That’s exactly why the opponents of net zero have latched on to this issue.

In France, the left is currently walking into this trap, as Marine Le Pen and the French far-right look to make AC a wedge issue. Picking the side of excessively hot homes and workplaces, health concerns, and early deaths, is not a winning political argument. Giving people cooler homes in summer and preventing heat-related deaths and ill-health isn’t just a winning argument – it’s the inherently progressive position.

The UK’s net zero consensus is already broken, with Reform and the Conservatives both locked in a race to the bottom on attacking the UK’s clean energy agenda. It would be a big mistake to think their political opportunism isn’t speaking to a genuine concern felt by voters that net zero could be a barrier to their enjoyment of life, not an enabler of it.

Supporting air conditioning is the climate conscious thing to do. If we can cool people’s homes and workplaces, we can take the heat out of this debate.


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