1. What does Cox think is wrong with air-conditioning?
Stan Cox brings the history of using air-condition in the world. The first modern air conditioner was built in 1903 by Willis Carrier. Air conditioning mostly served industrial purposes, cooling factories, textile mills, and printing plants. The air conditioning gradually spreaded to hospitals, hotels, and movie theatres.
When the air conditioning being started to be used in residential purposes, the air conditioning expanded. The air conditioning become the luxury of the people. Up to this, the writer does not have the problem, but the expansion of its uses have the problem. By this, people are making their houses turned in to refrigerators. When the refrigerators are run they produce CFC gas (might be harmful) and consume the large amount of the air conditioners. They produce CFC gases, which raise the global temperatures. Writer does not have the problem with the air conditioning facility, but with the air conditioning side effects.
He begins with a referential example of the American life that as the temperature of the world exceeds too extreme. People would not feel odd rather they increase the use of air conditioning which isn't very smart one.
The writer accepts that essential use of the air conditioning is must in the places like: hospitals, archives, and cooling centers, but it should not be the part of the extravagant luxuries. When we do not have the A.C, world we venture for the natural one and start to enjoy outdoors and neighbourhoods.
2.Do you think Cox is really trying to persuade readers to live in a world without air conditioning or do you think he has some other, less extreme purpose in mind?
No, he is not really trying to persuade readers to live in a world without air conditioning. Rather he persuades us to live in the natural outdoor neighbourhoods which becomes fresh earlier than the enclosed rooms with air conditioning.
The air conditioning produces the larger amount of the CFC gases and raises the global temperatures. So the writer tries to persuade us not to use air conditioning. It can be used in the extreme needs of emergencies only. We can use the air conditioning in hospitals, archives and the cooling centers for those who are vulnerable to heat.
Except these cases, we should never use the air conditioning for the every day lavish luxuries. He does not go completely against the air conditions. It might be used for the extreme purposes. Instead of the air condition we can use the ceiling fans which are less harmful and we must reduce the use of other such heat (or cold air) emitting devices. After that we enjoy outdoor, neighbourhood and natural blessing and have less threat of the global warming in our environment. When we use the air conditioning in that manner, the summer life will also not be much cold in America. People will always have their summer clothes with them. So the ceiling fans, window fans, and desk fans take back the American offices. The paperweights would be common in the American offices.