I am in Doha these days.
Stubborn as I am, I like to walk to get to places despite the scorching heat outside. Sweating my way around the endless sequence of construction sites, it feels like roaming inside a hoven.
Then, when I'm roasted and sweaty enough, I step into a mall or a café where the temperature drops, and it feels like being in the Alps.
Everywhere, beneath the noise of the construction works, I can hear the constant humming of countless air-conditioning systems working at full capacity. They restlessly intake the air, remove the heat, push the cold inside and release the heat outside. Making things even worst outside.
I wouldn't say that the cure is worse than the disease, but indeed it's the kind of solution to a problem that worsens the situation, creating a vicious loop.
No doubts that air conditioning improves the life of the people using it. But the costs for the environment and for humanity are very high.
It's fascinating to observe how easy it is to forget the big picture when focusing on one problem.
In the meanwhile, I keep the air conditioning off in our room most of the time.
In the opening picture the air conditioning system of the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha.