Nicholas Craig column

Sep 8 2006 By Nicholas Craig, The Journal

Five or more years ago, a friend of mine tried to sell a car that had air conditioning.

He found it extremely difficult. Air conditioning was then seen as an odd and unnecessary add-on. In this brave new century, `engineered air' has come into its own.

Offices, shops, hotels and especially cars that had the ability to switch it on this summer did so day after day.

We have seen the positive effects of hot weather on our tourism figures and possible negative effects on retail numbers.

Apparently many people preferred to use the internet rather than come into a city centre to shop in sweltering surroundings. Restaurants and pubs used any outside space to cram tables in Mediterranean summer temperatures.

This year's long, hot July proved how much we now like to cocoon ourselves in air conditioning. This is only the beginning, according to global warming forecasters, who promise that summer temperatures will annually hit July's heatwave heights in only 40 years' time. We need to install the man-made air technology that has already transformed America into a season-free country with artificial interior climates.

Businesses have to ensure employees are able to work in comfortable temperatures. The flurry of quickly-put-together regulations for workers wilting on building sites or enduring exceptional temperatures in badly ventilated offices this summer underlined the need to set a maximum temperature above which work would have to be abandoned. Technology helps us keep our cool.

The irony is, however, that our growing dependence on air conditioning adds to the effects of global warming. As the world heats up, so does our fevered addiction to `engineered air' systems that eat up huge amounts of energy.

In America, the sudden surge of power required to keep the nation's air conditioning units going cuts off power. Brooklyn Bridge suffered and even Times Square went dark as temperatures rose this year.

Like America, we turn to technology for comfortable living rather than pursue low-tech solutions. In this country, Currys' sales boomed - two air-conditioning units were sold every minute during the hottest periods. Now 75% of all cars come with air conditioning as standard. My friend would have had no problem selling his vehicle this summer.

Nicholas Craig is a partner at Watson Burton law firm.