Air conditioning is a necessity as extreme heat events become more common: B.C. advocates
Whether it's through misting stations, air-conditioned public spaces or parks with shady trees, there are plenty of ways to keep cool outside, but options are limited for those at home and not everyone is equipped to beat the heat.
"Air conditioning is some of the best technology we know to help humans cope with a rise in climate," said Jacob Kincer, a senior policy analyst at the Energy for Growth Hub where he researches emerging clean energy technologies.
But he understands not everyone in the province has access to air conditioning.
"It really shouldn't be seen as a luxury that makes things a little more comfortable because, a lot of times, heat waves kill people," he said.
Extreme heat in 2021 claimed 619 lives across the province as temperatures broke records and surpassed 40 C for several days in a row in late June and early July.
Nearly three-quarters of the deaths happened in the Fraser and Vancouver Coastal health authorities and most who died didn't have adequate cooling systems like air conditioners or fans in their homes.
"This is not a problem that's going away. It's actually going to get a lot worse," Kincer said.
"It's something where we have to figure out how to make it work. So, that means finding ways to make air conditioning more efficient, making people's homes more insulated so there's a lower energy usage when you do use it," he continued.
And the demand is ever-growing — global energy demand from AC is expected to triple by 2050.
While it's meant to cool you down, one expert says AC units can have the opposite effect on the planet.
"Electricity can be generated cleanly, as we do here from BC Hydro or in many places of the world, it's using a lot of coal. When we do that, it puts a lot of carbon dioxide out in the atmosphere which contributes to climate change,' said Werner Antweiler, an associate professor at the UBC Sauder School of Business.
Even with clean electricity, he said AC still leaves an environmental footprint with harmful chemicals released by these cooling systems.
"There are concerns about the refrigerants that are used in air conditioning units. There are some older types that are using refrigerants that are harmful to the climate," Antweiler said.
"And there's a global push to change the type of refrigerants that we're currently using and make them less harmful to the environment," he continued.
Several groups in Vancouver have been calling on all levels of government to make air conditioning more accessible, especially to those most vulnerable to the effects of extreme heat, including seniors, those living alone and people with underlying health issues.
And despite the environmental impacts -- they say human lives should be prioritized.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Indian envoy warns of 'big red line,' days after charges laid in Nijjar case
India's envoy to Canada insists relations between the two countries are positive overall, despite what he describes as 'a lot of noise.'
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
With Donald Trump sitting just feet away, Stormy Daniels testified Tuesday at the former president's hush money trial about a sexual encounter the porn actor says they had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
U.S. paused bomb shipment to Israel to signal concerns over Rafah invasion, official says
The U.S. paused a shipment of bombs to Israel last week over concerns that Israel was approaching a decision on launching a full-scale assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah against the wishes of the U.S.
Former homicide detective explains how police will investigate shooting outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
Northern Ont. woman makes 'eggstraordinary' find
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
Susan Buckner, who played spirited cheerleader Patty Simcox in 'Grease,' dead at 72
Susan Buckner, best known for playing peppy Rydell High School cheerleader Patty Simcox in the 1978 classic movie musical 'Grease,' has died. She was 72.
Jeremy Skibicki has 'uphill battle' to prove he's not criminally responsible in Winnipeg killings: legal analysts
Accused killer Jeremy Skibicki could have a challenging time convincing a judge that he is not criminally responsible for the deaths of four Indigenous women, a legal analyst says.
Bye-bye bag fee: Calgary repeals single-use bylaw
A Calgary bylaw requiring businesses to charge a minimum bag fee and only provide single-use items when requested has officially been tossed.
Alcohol believed to be a factor in boating incident after 2 men die: N.S. RCMP
Two Nova Scotia men are dead after a boat they were travelling in sank in the Annapolis River in Granville Centre, N.S., on Monday.