The number of summer days with ‘very strong heat stress’ has been steadily rising for the last few years and with it, our reliance on cooling. As the current heatwave continues to grip southern and central Europe, temperatures of up to 44°C are being recorded in countries like Spain. Our cities are particularly vulnerable to extreme heat, facing peak temperatures up to 10 degrees higher than neighbouring areas, due to the urban heat island effect.
In France, the issue of cooling has received particular attention. As Paris gets ready for the Olympic games, the high temperatures have given rise to concerns about the safety of athletes. Teams from Australia, Canada, Denmark, Italy, the UK and the US, among others, are complaining about the lack of traditional air conditioning (AC) units in the athletes’ accommodation.
In recognition of the significant impact AC units have on increasing energy demand and emissions of climate pollutant refrigerant gases, the Paris 2024 organisers had already opted for a range of different cooling solutions.
The apartments housing athletes were built to avoid exposure to the full force of the sun, and are equipped with super-efficient insulation and a geothermal cooling system that will use the natural cooling of the earth to bring temperatures down. Average Paris temperatures in July and August are around 25°C and tests have shown the athletes’ accommodation can stay reliably 6°C cooler than outside temperatures. Residential AC in Paris is relatively rare, and the accommodation will be used by regular Parisians after the games.
The teams claim the apartments will not be cool enough to ensure peak athletic performance and therefore plan to bring their own portable AC units – which are often even more energy inefficient than regular fixed units. Despite their goal of cutting the carbon footprint of the Olympic games in half, organisers have had to give in to pushback from Olympic delegations on the issue of air conditioning. The Paris organisers have now pledged to provide the option to hire AC units, at the teams’ own expense, if they feel they’re required but have asked them to give the accommodation a chance first.
Responding to these announcements, Paris Mayor, Anne Hidalgo urged teams to, “trust the science,”. In an interview with Le Monde, Hidalgo added “I have a lot of respect for the comfort of the athletes, but I’m thinking even more about the survival of humanity.”
This debate highlights our rising need for cooling, and reveals that we often think only of traditional AC as the solution. However, harmful energy-associated emissions from AC are well-documented, as is the use of climate-wrecking F-gas refrigerants in cooling equipment. F-gases have been shown to contribute to over one-third of emissions from cooling products and their emissions are on the rise.
“We need to shift our perspectives and embrace climate-friendly, sustainable cooling options. If we do not, we will end up in a heating-cooling loop, where, faced with warmer temperatures driven by climate change, more air conditioning is used which causes further temperature increase,” said Adam Aucock, campaigner at the Environmental Investigation Agency.
There are also clear parallels forming between this situation and the wider inequality in cooling globally. The list of countries that have pledged to shirk the environmental schemes and bring their own portable AC units is predominantly composed of wealthy, Global North countries. Across the world the places that are predicted to suffer the most from heat waves are also those where people lack access to cooling.
Portable AC units work by taking heat from one place and dispersing it to another. In this case, they will take it from the rooms of athletes from economically richer countries and pump it into the air surrounding their accommodation, leading to an increase in temperature in the area.
“We expect countries to support the efforts of the host country to minimise greenhouse gas emissions. Teams should trust in the cooling solutions provided and embrace the spirit of the games, ” concluded Aucock.
Tom Vasseur, policy officer for the Cool Heating Coalition, says, “Meeting our cooling needs is crucial for our health and well-being. But, when faced with rising global temperatures, we must remain committed to cooling solutions which do not harm people and the planet. Olympic organisers have demonstrated great ambition for their climate objectives – it’s time for all of us to support their vision.”
This article was written in collaboration with our members, the Environmental Investigation Agency. Have a look at their recent publication on super pollutant gases used in air conditioning and refrigeration: More Chilling Than Ever – Tackling Europe’s ongoing illegal trade in HFC climate super pollutants.
