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SOURCE: Yale e360 and Nature Communications

DATE: June 25, 2019

SNIP: Global energy use could increase by as much as 58 percent by 2050 as communities and industries use more air conditioning to cope with rising global temperatures, according to a new study published in the journal Nature Communications. This increased energy use will disproportionately affect low-income households, the scientists said, and will also increase greenhouse gas emissions even more, further exacerbating climate change.

The scientists found that global energy demand will increase 11 to 27 percent by 2050 with modest global warming, and 25 to 58 percent with more severe warming. The tropics, southern Europe, China, and the United States will all experience the greatest increases in demand.

The higher temperatures climb and the more air conditioning families need to keep cool, the more expensive utility bills will become.