(The opinions expressed in guest op-eds are those of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of RedState.com.)

John Tamny, my favorite contrarian on economics, writes about an interesting factoid in his latest brilliant contribution to the Zeitgeist.

"Without conceding even an inch on the notion that greater human comfort burdens a planet that’s been around for billions of years, those fearful of mass AC access live in locales where it’s plentiful." @JohnTamny #ampFW https://t.co/nJn5z1fYYI

— FreedomWorks (@FreedomWorks) August 2, 2022

The first air conditioner sold in the United States, Tamny reminds us, was purchased in Minneapolis by an heiress in the early 1930s when a window-unit air conditioner cost between $10,000 and $50,000.

In other words, only the super wealthy could afford to buy an air conditioner when they were first made available to consumers. For everybody else, relief from the Sun and its unforgiving heat was a luxury only the super wealthy could afford.

Today, nearly 100 years later, a window-style air conditioner can be purchased on Amazon for $100 and even less, depending on the time of year. I.e., when the demand for an AC is lower, the price is lower. Welcome to the economic law of supply and demand.

This economic law can be quite stubborn and unforgiving. Like its first cousin, gravity, good luck negotiating or reasoning with it. Thankfully, the law of supply and demand is kinder than most of those in the Green Movement.

Most of those who spend their time toiling in service to saving the planet, which is to say typing on their laptops, do all they can do to make cooling off your house, even in the peak of Summer, out of the financial reach of most working families. Indeed, today’s “environmentalists” prefer hyping every single theoretical weather-related calamity from their air-conditioned condominiums in Manhattan, Washington D.C., and Santa Barbara.

Whereas in the 1930s, market forces made purchasing an air conditioner prohibitively expensive for 99.99% of the country, today, it is the people in charge of our nation’s energy policy who are intent on doing that. They do it by limiting the energy supply even as the demand for energy increases. And all in the name of saving the planet.

The evidence is overwhelming; the Green Movement is anti-humanity because they are anti-affordable energy. And they long for a day and for a world where they can rest comfortably knowing billions of “malignant” human beings no longer terrorize our “benign” Planet Earth.

Air conditioning shouldn’t be and must never again be a luxury only for the super-rich.

Unfortunately, what the Greens choose to ignore, or live in complete denial about, is that it isn’t humanity who terrorizes the planet; it is the planet that terrorizes human beings.

Because of American ingenuity, rapidly advancing technologies, and private industry’s constant innovating, humanity has learned to more than tolerate Mother Nature’s chronic moodiness and repeated tantrums by employing the world-changing power of abundant and reliable energy.

Mankind has taken giant steps over the last century. In addition to eradicating once deadly diseases like Polio, Smallpox, and Malaria, as well as traveling to the Moon and sending robots to Mars, we’ve learned how to lower the temperature when it’s too hot and increase the temperature when it’s too cold.

By respecting the economic law of supply and demand, unleashing the economic power of the marketplace, and harnessing the power of fossil fuels, and nuclear energy, we have created a more hospitable world.

Air conditioning shouldn’t be and must never again be a luxury only for the super-rich. And thanks to the inherent benefits of Capitalism, air conditioning is something within the financial reach of all Americans. And that is yet another example of the morality of prosperity.

Joe Armendariz is the Director of Government Relations & Public Affairs for Armendariz Partners, LLC. He is the former Executive Director of the Santa Barbara County Taxpayers Association, Santa Barbara Technology and Industry Association, and the Chairman of the California Center for Public Policy. His views are his own and do not necessarily represent the views of his former or current group affiliations. He can be reached at: 805.990-2494