As extreme heat grips the globe, access to air conditioning is an urgent public health issue

Read the full story from the Brookings Institution.

Through indoor air conditioning, the U.S. is much better equipped to keep people safe during periods of extreme heat compared with a century ago. Nationally, about 70% of homes now have central AC, while about 10% of households have no air conditioning. But the presence and type of home AC varies considerably by geography. Like exposure to other climate risks, protection from extreme heat also varies by income, tenure, and race.