Don't Lose Your Cool: Katie Herzog on A/C

Who doesn't enjoy that refreshing feeling when you walk in from 90 degree heat to the cool blast of an air-conditioned room? Last month extreme heat blistered most of the US, from the Northeast, to the Southwest and practically every place in between. Weather experts are telling us that extreme is going to be the new normal when it comes to summer temperatures. Thank heavens for A/C. Approximately 86% of American households are equipped with air conditioners, and the rest of the world is rapidly catching up. But, while it undoubtedly helps human beings survive extreme heat, A/C is a huge and growing greenhouse gas offender. Our guest this week on Sea Change Radio is reporter, Katie Herzog, who recently wrote a piece for Grist on the social and environmental costs of air-conditioning. We discuss the past and future of these machines, the possibility of solar-powered A/C units, and the irony of this thing that is making us hotter by keeping us cool.