Lesson:

AC or Bust

Staying cool in a world that is becoming hotter has become not only a mark of prestige but a matter of life and death. It’s also become a catch-22. Air conditioning (AC) has become not only a way to deal with climate change but also a cause of it. Here in Japan, we’ve seen temperatures hit record highs on almost a yearly basis. My wife, I can’t tell you how old she is (but I did marry a younger woman), did not have an AC in the classroom when she was in grade school. I have taught at the same school she attended, and now every room has an AC – I was there and very thankful when it was installed. I chose this topic because some of my students told me this summer that they were sleeping while using the AC. I couldn’t believe it. Then I got to thinking. The temperatures are increasing, but are we becoming softer at the same time? Perhaps we do not need AC as much as we think we do. With better design and acclimatization to the new normal, maybe we can cut back on our usage. Staying cool has become a hot topic. Let’s see what we can do with this one.