How can global warming be halted when we have to expend so much energy on cooling just to endure current and future heatwaves? On the other hand, cooling and refrigeration technology have become fundamental parts of our lives over the past two centuries. A kitchen without a refrigerator, or a car or workplace without air conditioning—for many people in this country, such amenities are considered basic standards that go unquestioned and are usually taken for granted.
Cultural historian Stefan Höhne looks back at the origins of modern cooling technology, which lie in 19th-century America. It began with curtains over windows and buckets filled with blocks of ice suspended from the ceiling. A good century later, we are pumping vast amounts of electricity into state-of-the-art air conditioning systems that force us to keep windows and doors closed.
A full transcript of the lecture (in German) can be found here.
The mp3 file can be downloaded here.