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Air conditioner curbs add to heat deaths - but renewables can help

(Context, 7 Feb 2023) Investing now in renewable energy will be crucial to protecting people from heatwaves without making them worse, researchers say

When Japan shut down its nuclear power reactors in the wake of the 2011 Fukushima disaster, it asked its citizens to conserve scarce energy, such as by using fans instead of air conditioning during summer heat.

But that public-spirited conservation push - the kind of call being made across Europe this winter in response to gas shortages following Russia's invasion of Ukraine - is estimated to have caused 7,710 premature heat-related deaths each year, most among Japan's elderly, a new study has found. 

The study covered the years 2011 to 2015, the period energy conservation measures in response to the nuclear shutdown remained in effect.

The data suggests that well-intended public policy aimed at curbing people's energy use to limit climate change or tackle other threats could have unintended health consequences - with swift investment in renewable energy the best way to avoid them.

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Context, 7 Feb 2023: Air conditioner curbs add to heat deaths - but renewables can help