How Air-Conditioning Conquered America

The United States is undergoing one of the biggest changes to its social safety net in recent history, with huge numbers of people getting dropped from the government’s food assistance program. Nowhere has this been more dramatic than in Arizona. Jason DeParle, who covers poverty ...  Show more

In Michigan, a race for U.S. Senate is not only testing the growing appeal of left-wing populism. It could also be a turning point in a long-running debate among Democratic voters about the importance of electability. Michael Kruse, who writes about politics for The New York Time ...  Show more

Global warming means the world will need a lot more air conditioning - but will the AC just make global warming even worse?The Middle East already experiences peak temperatures over 50C, as the Kuwaiti social media influencer Ascia Alshammiri testifies. And things are only set to ...  Show more

A sweltering summer is continuing around the world, as the planet continues to break records for the hottest day in recorded history. In the US, medical officials and utility companies in multiple cities are struggling to keep up. In this episode, we look at why power grid resili ...  Show more

The world’s most populous country is at the front line of climate change. Our deputy editor explores the many ways <a href="https://www.economist.com/asia/2025/01/02/how-14bn-indians-are-adapting-to-climate-change?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theint ...

Air conditioners are a nifty -- and sometime life-saving -- invention, but how does an air conditioner make air cooler? What does a compressor do? What’s a swamp cooler? Tune in for answers to these questions and more in this episode of TechStuff.