Twitter/X

@dwallacewells (2026-06-23) asserts that climate policy must place as much…

2026-06-23 · 22:05 UTC ·@dwallacewells ·0 min read

Brief

David Wallace-Wells (2026-06-23) argues adaptation must match mitigation and that air-conditioning should be treated as a right in most places. Leigh Phillips echoed this during a fresh European heat dome, reposting a 2018 Jacobin piece that frames opposition to AC as austerity politics and defends AC as a working-class necessity.

Why it matters

@dwallacewells (2026-06-23) asserts that climate policy must place as much emphasis on adapting to warming "already locked in" as on mitigation, and that "air-conditioning in most locations" should be regarded as a right.

Key details

  • Leigh Phillips reposted the point amid a new European heat dome, calling it a seasonal "shilling for Big Air Con" and linking a 2018 Jacobin essay ('In Defense of Air-Conditioning') which argues opposition to AC is austerity politics and that working-class people deserve freedom from heat.
Source evidence

“As the climate changes, we have to place as much emphasis on adapting to the warming that is already locked in as we do in mitigating its causes. And as part of this adaptation, we should view air-conditioning in most locations as a right.”

Leigh Phillips (@Leigh_Phillips)

It’s that time of year again! That’s right, with another heat dome hitting Europe, it’s time for me to re-post my shilling for Big Air Con.

jacobin.com/2018/08/air-cond…

Link

In Defense of Air-Conditioning

Opposition to air-conditioning is just another form of austerity politics. Nothing's too good for the working class — especially not freedom from the heat.
jacobin.com

— https://nitter.net/Leigh_Phillips/status/2069481682122739783#m