Paris's plan to ditch ACs and expand urban cooling system Around the world, record-shattering temperatures are feeding demand for air conditioning. 135 million individual ACs are sold every year, a figure set to triple by 2050 according to the International Energy Agency. This rush to cool air could in turn become a major driver of electricity consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. In Paris, a little-known network of underground water pipes aims to cool down buildings, without resorting to polluting AC units.