The Cooling Revolution That Could Save a Warming World
In the summer of 2026, the hottest thing in Germany wasn't the weather. It was a box.
Specifically, a 32-kilogram white box on wheels, manufactured in China, that could be wheeled into a Berlin apartment and switched on without a single hole drilled in a single wall. Its name was the Midea PortaSplit, and for a few delirious weeks it became the most coveted consumer object on the continent—more sought-after than any watch, sneaker, or phone. People built websites for the sole purpose of tracking whether it was in stock. They drove hundreds of kilometers to collect the last unit in a warehouse. Units that retailed for €800 changed hands on the secondary market for as much as €5,000—a markup that would make a luxury-goods executive blush.
To understand why grown adults were paying supercar-per-kilo prices for a portable air conditioner, you have to understand what the summer of 2026...
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