As the world rapidly warms and urbanizes, air conditioning is becoming essential for public health and economic prosperity. ‘Comfort cooling’ is no longer a luxury. It is a necessity. Rising temperatures reduce labor productivity and increase morbidity and mortality, posing a fundamental threat to human wellbeing. In 2017, 153 billion hours of work was lost to heat. By mid-century, extreme heat is expected to reduce GDP per capita by up to 50 percent in the global south.
