An oil site of the national company Aramco, in Saudi Arabia. (Credit: AFP file photo)
In Riyadh, the streets are empty. The scorching heat confines residents who have access to the air-conditioned interiors of their combustion-engine vehicles. Kept cool, homes and shopping malls become the only living spaces frequented by the kingdom's population during the summer. "With the summer heat, you can't live without air conditioning, it's impossible, it's too hot," stated Amal al-Qarini, a Saudi woman in her fourties who lives in Riyadh, where she works in the philanthropic sector. Especially since temperatures have reached record highs in recent years, a trend attributed to climate change. Switched on almost permanently during heat waves, the Saudi General Authority of Statistics (GASTAT) estimated the number of air conditioners in homes at more than 25 million in 2019. Some even have the habit of leaving the machines running...
In Riyadh, the streets are empty. The scorching heat confines residents who have access to the air-conditioned interiors of their combustion-engine vehicles. Kept cool, homes and shopping malls become the only living spaces frequented by the kingdom's population during the summer. "With the summer heat, you can't live without air conditioning, it's impossible, it's too hot," stated Amal al-Qarini, a Saudi woman in her fourties who lives in Riyadh, where she works in the philanthropic sector. Especially since temperatures have reached record highs in recent years, a trend attributed to climate change. Switched on almost permanently during heat waves, the Saudi General Authority of Statistics (GASTAT) estimated the number of air conditioners in homes at more than 25 million in 2019. Some even have the habit of leaving the machines...