Air conditioning as a social phenomena

Over time air conditioning has become a much more pervasive part of our culture: “Three out of every four of Australian households now have a refrigerated air conditioner or an evaporative cooler, which is almost double the rate of ownership back in the late 1990s.” (The conversation 2014). What are the social drivers of this trend?




This problem is usually framed in the context usage type (ie commercial or residential), lifestyle (and in particular notions of human comfort requirments), socio-economic status, energy markets(and particularly energy price rises), geography, health, climate and climate change. It can even relate to fashion , in that more temperate environments change what people choose to wear.

Understanding this environmental challenge through the lens of social science involves questions around  humans, human relationships and the use of air conditioning. The article “ How air conditioning remade modern america" conjurers images  of “fire hydrants” where kids would once cool themselves outdoors.  Kids now go to malls rather than parks to enjoy the climate. It talks about the positive aspects of air conditioning on productivity, architecture, on human health. It also talks about ubiquitous air conditioning making us “less regionally diverse” as we move from one artificial space to another, devoid of the feelings of discomfort. It talks about air conditioning reflecting being “modern”.

The most obvious environmental impact of air conditioning is based on the use of greenhouse gas producing fossil fuels to create the massive amounts of energy required to feed our hunger for comfort : “..almost 20 percent of electricity consumption in U.S. homes goes to AC -- that's as much electricity as the entire continent of Africa uses for all purposes.” (Guardian 2010). This social construct conjures the ultimate image of the excesses of our current society wanting perfect comfort, while raising temperate (in some cases) leading to more power required for comfort. Truly an example of a anthorpogenic climate feedback loop.

The next direct impact of air conditioning is the use of refrigerants which can be ozone depleting. CFC's were origionally phased out by 1995, and the requirement to phase out HCFC's has been implemented under the "Montreal Protocol" as per the diagram from Phaseoutfacts.org.

From a social science perspective, this is primarily managed via the market mechanism and enthusiastic sales people constantly remind businesses and stockists about the impending timeline in order to produce future sales.

In a book by Stan Cox “Losing Our Cool: Uncomfortable Truths About Our Air-Conditioned World (and Finding New Ways to Get Through the Summer)” he explores the fact that people can psychologically adjust to temperatures and use clothes rather than air conditioners. Another environmental impact which is identified in the book is that air conditioning has also fundamentally changed habitats through the migration to hotter climates (such as as the UAE) which become habitable through air-conditioning alone.

As with the picture above air conditioners can also create  visual pollution. Cheap, inefficient reverse cycle packages on balconies create visual eye-sores within the cityscape, while more efficient centralized systems are shunned by developers for their cost and complexity.

The final environmental impact of air-condition viewed through a social science construct is that it creates a closed window society where humans are truly sheltered from the reality of the environment in which they live (much like we are sheltered from the true origin of the food we eat). I am sure there could be a strong link drawn between disassociation with the natural world and our propensity to accept environmental degradation.

It is clear that across these three dimensions of impact we need a diverse range of ways of knowing to understand key problems and create solutions. These are economic issues, social issues, engineering issues that need to come together understand why and how comfort is demanded and created, and similar disciplines required to understand how we change our perceptions of comfort and the efficiency of delivering it.