Air conditioner use will triple by 2050. That's bad news for a warming planet.

During sweltering New York City summers, the local power utility warns that for every degree you lower the thermostat, your energy bill goes up by 6 percent. 

Air conditioners in every form — from window units to central air — gulp energy. There are some 1.6 billion A.C. units worldwide, accounting for around 10 percent of the world's electricity consumption. And a new report from the International Energy Agency predicts that over the course of the next 30 years, this number will triple globally, to 5.6 billion buzzing, cooling appliances.

For perspective, the agency says this amounts to "10 new ACs sold every second for the next 30 years." Read more...

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