Vermont has long treated air conditioning as optional. A warming climate could be changing that.

With an extreme heat warning blanketing Vermont through this week, temperatures are soaring to a dangerously high 105 degrees, making nights hardly bearable. This intense heatwave is challenging the state's long-standing approach of keeping air conditioning optional. As climate change continues to raise temperatures, Vermonters may soon find themselves reconsidering the necessity of air conditioning for comfort and health, signaling a potential shift in how they manage extreme heat.