> I'm resisting the urge to buy AC because I feel like AC makes the problem worse What many call AC or air-conditioning, a lot of the world calls "heat pumps",

> I'm resisting the urge to buy AC because I feel like AC makes the problem worse What many call AC or air-conditioning, a lot of the world calls "heat pumps", and modern heat pumps are not only incredibly efficient, but they work both ways, and are also one of the most efficient ways to heat homes in the winter. So there's a good chance that by replacing or augmenting your home's heating system with a two-way heat pump (aka AC), you can actually increase your home's energy efficiency. And some quick research and back of the napkin math makes me think that residential air conditioning accounts for less than 2% of carbon emissions. [0.37 (residential share of total electricity consumption) * 0.17 (air conditioning's share of residential electricity use) * 0.25 (electricity's share of total emissions) = 1.57%]. You are one out of 8 billion people. Your individual contribution to carbon emissions is a drop in the bucket of that 2%, and remember, a heat pump may actually increase your home's energy efficiency. At scale, heat pumps are definitely a potential net-win. All that to say, don't beat yourself up or suffer too much over this. Individual choices are not the driving factor of climate change. Climate change is driven by industry, specifically oil and gas, and the responsibility needs to fall on those industries to account for negative externalities. You can offset your own carbon emissions for probably under a hundred Euro a year. But what really needs to happen to reduce carbon emissions is that large companies and industries need to be held accountable with carbon taxes. TL;DR, just get AC to protect yourself and your family, and spend your suffering and energy pushing for industries to be held responsible instead of beating yourself up about it.