University of Maryland Researchers Are Playing a Major Role in the Future of Climate-Friendly Air Conditioning
By Hannah Marszalek
As global temperatures continue to rise at a dangerous rate, so does the number of air conditioning units in use. Researchers at the University of Maryland’s Center for Environmental Energy Engineering have been working for years on Department of Energy-funded projects to implement technologies that may be the solution to making these machines more efficient and eco-friendly as dependence on them grows.
Related Knowledge Center: Climate economics
Climate change is now a driver of the world’s economy. The impact is profound:
- Catastrophic weather events — hurricanes, floods, droughts, high temperatures — are more frequent and more extreme. The cost can be measured in both the initial damage caused and the longer-term impact on the economy.
- Vulnerable communities are increasing climate-related investments, hardening infrastructure and taking other protective measures.
- Investment in carbon capture and storage technologies is increasingly rapidly.
- Governments are making investments and crafting regulations to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases.
On top of all of this is the cost of uncertainty. As the Fourth National Climate Assessment, released in 2018 by the U.S. Global Change Research Program, says, “The assumption that current and future climate conditions will resemble the recent past is no longer valid.”