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Urge the U.S. to Explore Air Conditioning Options That Won't Destroy the Planet
Final signature count: 15,889
15,889 signatures toward our 30,000 goal
Sponsor: The Rainforest Site
We need increased funding for innovative solutions to our air conditioning addiction.
There’s no denying the trend that each year our summers get hotter. To compensate for the rise in temperature, we swim; we turn the blinds; we purchase sun shades for our cars; and, we crank our air conditioning: in the car, at work, and at home1.
The problem is that our air conditioning units are actually making the planet hotter.
Air conditioning units are, in a word, inefficient. They account for an estimated 6% of annual American energy consumption, and spew 117 million tons of carbon dioxide into the air each year2. Moreover, some air conditioning units still contain (and leak) refrigerants called hydrofluorocarbons, a very potent and long-lasting greenhouse gas3.
The solution is not as simple as banning air conditioners. Air conditioning units actually do save the lives of children, the elderly, and pets on hot days. Cooler temperatures have also proven to increase productivity4. Factor in that researchers project the installation of 700 million air conditioners worldwide in the next 15 years, and 1.6 billion by 2050 and the solution becomes more complex5.
Humans cannot afford to turn their back entirely on air conditioning, which is why the United States, where 86% of households have air conditioning, must push for innovation. Affordable air conditioning units powered by renewable energy must be made a priority6.
Sign below to urge the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on the Budget and the U.S. Senate Committee on the Budget to make air conditioning innovation top priority by increasing the budget for non-defense research and development. It may be the only way the world finds a cool, clean solution.
