If we want to make sustainability cool(er) then maybe we could ❄️ make cooling cool (again).
The heat is dropping off (at least in my corner of the world at the tail end of summer) which might mean it’s OK to forget about precautionary strategies for cooling. But overall – especially in Europe – extreme heat, and the lack of adaptation to it, is reaching crisis proportions.
And the solution of fitting mechanical units to blow hot air out of buildings into the streets is one big air ‘con’.
World Resources Institute recently reported on the scale of the cooling problem – and estimated that the emissions due to cooling by 2050 could be > 6billion tCO2e (around 1/6th of all global emissions today).
And in countries where cooling demand is very high, the hottest days put the greatest strain on the energy grid (e.g. the day you need cooling to stay alive might be the day the grid is under most risk of failing).
So we need different solutions, especially in our cities, which don’t rely on individual point-solutions. Which means not only better design and more regenerative approaches, but also new forms of collaboration between local administrations, communities, business and designers.
So while it might feel cool enough outside to forget about cooling (and worry about whether the boiler’s been serviced yet), now might be a good time to think about local strategies to get ready for the heatwaves to come.
PS: If you’re writing a transition plan, or have one on the horizon, download our free guide to the Transition Elephant in the room – or come along to one of our Workshops.