Air conditioning is a big contributor to climate change. These companies are trying to change that

Summer 2021 is shaping up to be one of the hottest in history, as the effects of climate change are becoming ever clearer. Naturally, that's led to an increase in global demand for air conditioning, which itself is a major contributor to global warming. It's a vicious cycle, but there are a number of companies working to make heating and cooling more energy efficient, and get buildings off of fossil fuels for good.

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Sat, Jul 24 20218:59 AM EDT

Katie Brigham

Building operations, such as heating, cooling and lighting, account for 28% of the world's total greenhouse gas emissions. Now that summer 2021 is on pace to be one of the hottest on record, global demand for air conditioning is skyrocketing. That creates a vicious cycle because air conditioning itself is a major contributor to global warming. It uses a massive amount of electricity, and can leak potent greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.

Traditionally, the heating and cooling industry has been slow to adopt more energy-efficient technologies. But a number of companies, including BlocPower, Gradient, SkyCool and Sealed, are trying to change that. They're working to incentivize and finance the adoption of green tech like electric heat pumps and other energy-efficient retrofits.

Watch the video to learn more.