Use of Air Conditioners and the Greenhouse Effect

Autor: rsbombard

As the average temperature of the planet rises every year we also have started using the air conditioner more. The result is that we are heating up the environment even more. What happens is, whenever we turn on the air conditioner, it releases carbon into the air. And carbon has been identified as the element that insulates our planet and is a major contributor in global warming.

And if we are to believe recent studies, the worse is yet to come. Actually we have got into this vicious loop where the hotter it gets, the more of air conditioning we use, and consequently the earth gets even hotter.

If we look at the figures, we can understand that the average world temperature of the Earth has increased by 1 degree Fahrenheit in just the last century. Though it might sound minimal, it is actually a remarkable change. Scientists believe that much of this global warming can be attributed to the release of carbon dioxide and other green house gases which are released when we burn the conventional fossil fuels. What is being predicted is that the practice will continue for the coming years and it will only increase with time.

Compared to most other electric devices, the air conditioner consumes much more energy. So to keep the air conditioners running a lot of fossil fuels need to be used. Whenever you have your air conditioner working at full blast you should realize that you are contributing in your own way to the global warming.

If we account for all the power consumed by air conditioners alone across the country it would be something around half percent of the total energy that is used in by the United States. This seems a rather small figure. However, the problem is even half percent can make a serious contribution to the phenomenon of global warming.

Another problem is that the consumption of energy and hence the release of the greenhouse gases are not the same all over the country. So, particular areas are more affected than the rest.

Till the day we can use alternative forms of energy in a wide scale, turning on the air conditioner will always mean that the earth will be affected. The only way to limit the damage is by using high energy efficient air conditioners which require less power to run, and to keep the use of the air conditioners to the minimum level possible.