Since its inception at the beginning of the 20th century, electric air conditioning has gone on to revolutionize nearly all sectors of modern society. The late Singaporean Prime Minister, Lee Kwan Yew once theorized that the development of the air conditioner was what allowed his country, Singapore, to develop into a first world country. The air conditioner enabled intense commerce to take place in tropical countries, like Singapore, during the hot summer months. The air conditioner also had wide-reaching demographic effects as well, as it led to more children being born in the Spring season (as before couples were less likely to conceive during the hot summer months). In the United States, air conditioning led to a massive migration from northern states to once-hot and humid southern states, with the “Sun Belt” region of America now holding nearly a third of America’s population. However, the proliferation of the air conditioner has also had negative environmental effects as well. The usage of CFC chemicals in the refrigeration units of air conditioners and their release into the upper atmosphere had negative effects on Earth’s ozone layer, weakening it and allowing harmful light rays to enter into the atmosphere and heat up the planet. Furthermore, air conditioning takes up a massive amount of electricity each year, driving the construction of fossil-fuel based power plants and accelerating global warming. However, CFCs were banned from use in air conditioners and many countries are converting to renewable electricity production, so we may soon see the negative effects of air conditioning be matched by green technology.
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