Article
Keeping Our Cool: In Defense of Air Conditioning
Economics & Business Journal: Inquiries & Perspectives
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
10-1-2017
Disciplines
Abstract
In the last 15 years three books have been published that are critical of air conditioning (Cooper 1998; Ackermann 2002; Cox 2010). No books (or even articles) in those years have been primarily devoted to a general defense. Such a defense should make the following points. Air conditioners reduce disease and mortality, especially among the ill and aged. They reduce aggressive behavior, including road rage, assaults, and murders. They increase the quality and quantity of nighttime sleep. They improve student and worker productivity by reducing noise and increasing the ability to concentrate. They increase comfort and free choice.
Citation Information
Arthur M. Diamond. "Keeping Our Cool: In Defense of Air Conditioning" Economics & Business Journal: Inquiries & Perspectives Vol. 8 Iss. 1 (2017) p. 3 - 26 Available at: http://works.bepress.com/arthur_diamond/11/
This article was reused with permission from the Nebraska Economics and Business Association, http://nebeconandbus.org/journal/paperpage.htm.
JEL Codes: I18 (Health: Government Policy; Regulation; Public Health), O33 (Technological Change: Choices and Consequences; Diffusion Processes), J24 (Labor Productivity)