Air conditioning: how to keep a cool head?

This summer, the question sparked a heated public debate: in the face of heatwaves, should air conditioning be generalized? Between those who see it as the only way to protect the most vulnerable and those who denounce it as a climate-killing remedy, the controversy quickly turned into a slogan. Zenon invites you to look at it differently—not to settle the matter ideologically, but to decode it: how can we protect people, infrastructure, and economic activity from heatwaves (and potentially cold snaps!) without veering off our decarbonization path? Because "air conditioning" is more than just pushing a button. Behind the term lies a whole range of responses, each with its own promises and blind spots. The issue, therefore, is not "for or against AC," but rather: which technologies, for which uses, and under what conditions?

This new Zenon Dialogue will bring together four complementary perspectives. 

• Cédric Philibert, a member of the Zenon scientific council, presents a thesis that challenges the "insulation-first" advocates: supporting the deployment of reversible air conditioning can accelerate the reduction of heating emissions, as it is faster, more attractive, and less expensive to deploy than traditional solutions.   
• Alice Timsit, Deputy Mayor of Paris for Ecological Transition, Climate Plan, Water and Energy, and President of Eau de Paris, shifts the focus to the city scale (subject to confirmation). 
• Gaëtan Migon, Head of Collective Residential for the Île-de-France region at Greenta, brings the discussion back to buildings and reversible heat pumps, where the reduction of demand is truly at stake. 
• Victor Marty, a former researcher at Mines Paris and now an R&D project manager at Energies Demain, puts it all to the test with data: modeling heating/cooling needs and their carbon footprint (subject to confirmation).

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