7AC NEWS

3M Invests in 7AC’s Technology

3M Invests in 7AC’s Technology

3M New Ventures identifies and invests in highly innovative companies and disruptive new technologies with strategic relevance for 3M.

Industry News

How to Fight Disease in the 1880s: Fresh Air

America’s ambivalence about wearing masks has played a part our Covid-19 woes. But there’s another factor beginning to receive a closer look as the virus tears through some of the hottest parts of the U.S.: Our zealous – and rather unusual – insistence on living and working in spaces that are largely sealed off from the outdoors.

Air Conditioning May Be Spreading COVID

As COVID-19 cases rise rapidly throughout the South, some scientists believe there could be an important, but overlooked factor in the spread of the virus in the region--air conditioning.

Major Climate Report Describes a Strong Risk of Crisis as Early as 2040

A landmark report from the United Nations’ scientific panel on climate change paints a far more dire picture of the immediate consequences of climate change than previously thought and says that avoiding the damage requires transforming the world economy at a speed and scale that has “no documented historic precedent.”

The AC Industry Conundrum: Cooling Is Warming the Planet, but Market Failures Are Preventing the AC Industry from Innovating

Already a staggering 2.2 billion people, 30 percent of the world’s population, are at risk of potentially deadly heat exposure for more than 20 days per year; and by 2100, up to three-quarters could experience this risk. Comfort cooling, such as air conditioning, is no longer a luxury, but increasingly a necessity for health, productivity, and at the extreme, survival.

Why Air Conditioning Is a Life-Saver — and a Danger

Extreme heat recently melted roads in the U.K.; hit a record-shattering 120°F in Chino, Calif.; and led to more than 70 deaths in Quebec. These cases illustrate a vexing paradox for scientists and policymakers: air conditioning keeps people cool and saves lives but is also one of the biggest contributors to global warming.