At the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) released on the 3rd the “Overcoming High Temperatures: A Manual for Sustainable Urban Cooling”, which was compiled in cooperation with the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) of the United States, to provide A reference guide to help cool cities around the world.The report pointed out that the rate of global urban warming is twice the global average rate. If greenhouse gas emissions continue to maintain high levels, the temperature in many cities may rise by 4°C by the end of this century. Even with a global warming of 1.5°C, 2.3 billion people may be vulnerable to severe heat waves.
Jules Költenhorst, CEO of RMI, stated that the report provides a comprehensive and first-of-its-kind description of sustainable urban cooling methods within a comprehensive “system-wide” framework. It includes feasibility guidance to help city organizations take priority actions to achieve sustainable and equitable urban cooling. It also includes guidelines for reducing emissions and improving urban resilience.
“Science tells us that in order to prevent global temperatures from rising above 1.5°C, we need to achieve net zero emissions by the middle of this century. Sustainable and fair urban cooling must be part of the city’s efforts to achieve net zero energy goals.” UNEP Executive Director Inge · Anderson said.
The report describes how cities are rapidly warming due to the “heat island effect.” The “heat island effect” is caused by the reduction of green vegetation, the thermal properties of commonly used materials on urban surfaces, and the waste heat generated by human activities.
The report pointed out that the demand for space cooling is increasing. As millions of households in developing countries buy in the coming decadesair conditioner, From 2016 to 2050, the energy demand for space cooling is expected to triple.
According to the report, the impact of urban heat is unevenly distributed. Cool cities, homes and streets are the key to ensuring climate justice. Low-income areas are usually the most vulnerable to high temperatures, and the negative effects of excessive warming disproportionately affect those who are least likely to afford or gain thermal comfort. We need to transition to a more equitable and sustainable way to “cool” our cities and make them suitable for everyone.
At the same time, the benefits of sustainable urban cooling are far-reaching, including improving health and productivity, reducing electricity and energy requirements, reducing emissions and bringing economic benefits.
In addition, the report also called for a system-wide approach to reduce heat within the city and reduce and meet the cooling needs of buildings, so as to benefit from the combined effects.
It is worth noting that the report pointed out in the 6 cases of cooling in cities mentioned that, as one of the measures to build a green and environmentally friendly modern city center, the Guangzhou Municipal Government of China adopted regional centralized cooling in the Zhujiang New Town development core area to make the area The local ambient temperature is 2℃-3℃ lower than using the distributed cooling system. (Intern reporter Zhang Jiaxin)