8. CAUSES AND EFFECT - The Case against Air Conditioning (Summary)

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The Case against Air Conditioning

Stan Cox

S

tan Cox was born in 1955. Most of his writings are about sustainability, ecology and agriculture. He obtained his Ph.D. from Iowa State University. He works as a geneticist for the U.S Department of Agriculture.

 

The essay The Case against Air Conditioning by Stan Cox talks about Washington D.C. in particular and to the whole world in general. This essay talks about why Washington/America should stop using air conditioners in everyday life with the exception of hospitals, archives (stores), and cooling centres. The author supports his argument by providing examples of what Washington would like without air conditioners at work, at home, and around town.

 

Stan Cox wants us not to use A.C. unnecessarily or eliminate it completely. He urges that eliminating A.C. makes neighbourhoods have more socializing, laws laxer (softer), and it will lessen the climate change issues. He starts out with using modern day examples of people using air conditioning to beat the Heat and why its bad. 

Cox thinks the excessive use of air conditioning can bring problematic consequences. Cox argues usage of air conditioners in everyday life can be fatal. Its usage should be limited in the premise of hospitals, archives, and cooling centres. The air conditioner reduces humidity, busts electricity- bill and fills the atmosphere. So, it’s wrong to use air conditioners everywhere.

 

Cox advocates for A.C free Washington because excessive use of A.C can cause long summer business hours at work. They don’t have to carry sweaters or space heaters to work in summer. A.C free Washington would take back ceiling fans, window fans, and desk fans. After the absence of A.C ceiling fans, window fans, and desk fans take back and for that matter, paperweights will be brought back to America as they may get blown away by the air produced by fans.

At home, it creates renovation and new constructions like high ceilings, better cross ventilation and most of all home utility bills plummet.

In urban areas, people spend more time outdoors. Neighbourhoods start to socialize. There are more people outside, streets in high- crime areas become safer. Deaths from heat decline. People look out for one another during heat waves, checking in their most vulnerable neighbours. As a result, elderly people don’t die inside sweltering apartments. Children and others take bikes and scooters, because of the cooling effect of air movement. In the absence of infectious gases, green plants get sprouted on the roofs. The layers of soil and vegetation insulate interiors from the pounding sun and water from the plants provide evaporate cooling.

While discussing the positive effects of reducing the use of air conditioning Cox ignores the negative effects. He doesn’t think about the situation when some of the crucial normal activities get inactivated.

If the government keeps adjourning to formulate laws, policies, and schemes, that creates a lack of time to explore them adequately. Consequently, more resources will be required that increases expenditures.

Summing up, the author’s message is that use of A.C. causes, in long term, global temperature high. It also keeps people inside and away from interacting with one another. However, if it is eliminated, things will be reversed. People will start to think for greenery and we see trees everywhere. The rate of increasing temperature will go down.