The International Energy Agency (IEA) predicts 10 air conditioners will be sold every second over the next 10 years (residential sector alone).This would be equivalent to the combined electricity consumption of USA,Japan & Germany today.
AC units produce hydrofluorocarbon (HFC)-based refrigerants & are very energy inefficient - only 14% of maximum theoretical efficiency (most ACs attain less than 8%)
But thanks to the Global Cooling Prize, 8 teams have developed tech that potentially could have 5x less climate impact and consume 4 - 5x less energy than standard AC units on the market today.