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Showing posts from September, 2023

Translation

Old and New Ways to Cool Buildings and Cities without Aircon

  This very old church in the Atacama Desert has many of the cooling features which we'll be talking about - thick walls, white paint, no windows on the sunny side, recessed doorways and small openings in the upper levels which draw in fresh air    Air conditioning won't save us if temperatures continue to rise. Here's why and what we can do instead.    What’s wrong with Air conditioning? 1.        Air conditioning already accounts for between 10 and 14% of global electricity consumption and 4% of global emissions (more than flying) and demand is expected to triple by by 2050 as the planet warms, populations increase and more people move into cities. Cities are significantly warmer than the surrounding countryside because of all that concrete and glass, plus the heat from traffic and human activity. 2.        Air conditioning adds to global warming in three ways. If made and operated with non -renewable energy they add to the greenhouse gases which exacerbat