Most People Can't Power an Hour of Air Conditioning

Billions in energy-poor countries cannot power even a single hour of air conditioning, leaving extreme heat a daily health and productivity burden. In many places, the average per-person daily electricity is far below what an hour of AC needs (India ~44 minutes, Nigeria ~13 minutes, South Sudan ~4.4), and AC ownership remains very low (roughly 5–16% in several large economies). Even affordable cooling like electric fans is out of reach for many. Solving this requires more affordable, cleaner electricity and more efficient cooling, even as AC accounts for about 3% of greenhouse gas emissions and demand could triple by 2050.