As the current heat wave is subsiding in Turkey and the Southern Mediterranean, the Economist has just published an article stating that with rising heat the demand for air conditioning is set to surge by 2050.
The article is based on a study on air conditioning and global inequality published recently.
Both current and future air conditioner usage is concentrated among high-income households. Not only do richer countries have much more air conditioning than poorer countries, but within countries adoption is highly concentrated among high-income households.
L. Davis, P. Gertler, S. Jarvis, C. Wolfram: Air conditioning and global inequality
So air conditioning is only a strategy for the rich to adapt to climate change. It is not really an option for large parts of the global population. And by the surge in cooling to be expected, the rich will contribute to even more warming of the planet.
On the other hand, according to recent estimates, in India alone 630,000 people die each year from high temperatures. With further rising temperatures this number could increase to 1.4 million deaths per year by 2050.
While the study argues that increased adoption of air conditioning could save millions of lives, it will probably not be the lives of the poor.