Low-cost innovation regulates building temperatures while slashing energy use

[Alfonso Maruccia]

Sweating Planet: Rising temperatures are transforming vast regions of the planet into unbearably hot environments. While air conditioning is effective at cooling indoor spaces, it is also an enormous drain on energy resources. As a result, scientists are seeking innovative solutions that can provide comparable cooling without consuming excessive energy or resources.

According to a recent study by researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), a new and promising mechanism could effectively regulate heat absorption using common building materials. This innovative passive cooling technology involves coating walls and windows to manage heat transfer between buildings and their surroundings more efficiently.

The "secret" to better heat management during hot and cold seasons lies in radiant heat. Radiant heat is the sensation we feel when a hot surface warms our body or home. This heat is carried by electromagnetic waves and can travel across the entire broadband spectrum at ground level between buildings and their surroundings. Streets and walls can quickly spread heat, while the sky interacts with a "much narrower" portion of the infrared spectrum known as the atmospheric transmission window.

The challenge for cooling technologies lies in the differences in how radiant heat transfers between buildings, the sky, and ground structures, especially for buildings with fewer skyward-facing surfaces. These types of buildings are difficult to cool in the summer because they retain heat from the ground and surrounding walls. Similarly, they are challenging to warm in the winter, as dropping outside temperatures draw heat away from the building.

The researchers discovered that common materials like polypropylene, sourced from everyday plastic products, can selectively and effectively radiate or absorb heat within the atmospheric transmission window. "These materials border on the mundane," said UCLA associate professor Aaswath Raman, "but the same scalability that makes them common also means that we could see them thermoregulating buildings in the near future."

The proposed regulating mechanism is entirely passive, the researchers explained, and is similar to painting dark roofs with a white tint. While using "super white" paint to reflect sunlight has proven to be a very effective solution for cooling buildings, the novel mechanism proposed by UCLA researchers can achieve a similar passive cooling effect at ground level.

This new technology can easily scale to cover large structures and would provide significant benefits for low-income communities where traditional cooling solutions are not available. Raman and his colleagues are now working to demonstrate this potential in real-world scenarios, including in heat-vulnerable communities in Southern California.

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Low-cost innovation regulates building temperatures while slashing energy use

 

[NumberNine]

Business and government leadership have decided that poor people and mild climates are interfering with maximum profit. Who are we to argue against the very architects of society's money churn?

 

[Dimitrios]

I bet wars cause a lot of heat and pollution. Also Look at Zuckerbergs new yacht and Obama's and their 2-4 mansions and acres of land. Look at Kerry's back round.

"Rules for me, not for thee."

 

[RudyBob]

More people die in the northern hemisphere from being cold. If air conditioning is such a strain we need more power plants run by coal and other fossil fuels. Nuclear is a great idea. People are going to die because of expensive energy. Windmeals and Solar are not the answer

 

[SRB]

Well, if vast swaths of the planet are too hot to be safely habitable, then the end times have already begun. Just a matter of time before the Earth looks like Mercury Let's just run up the credit cards and have fun while we can.

 

[Endymio]

Rising temperatures are transforming vast regions of the planet into unbearably hot environments.

Any 'journalist' posting sky-is-falling nonsense like this deserves to have their bottom paddled. Over the last 150 years, the planet has warmed by approximately 1.5 degrees. And according to the 'polar amplification' predicted by basic global warming mechanics, the majority of warming occurs in the polar regions, meaning the amount occurring in the hottest areas of the planet is substantially less than this.

More people die in the northern hemisphere from being cold.

A fact that's true of the entire planet. Even in Africa, for instance, 1.18 million people die per year from cold, whereas only 25,000 a year die from heat. In Asia, 2.4 million a year die from cold; only 220,000 from heat. Even in Australia, cold still kills far more people a year than does heat.

https://www.monash.edu/medicine/new...lion-deaths-a-year-to-abnormal-temperatures#:

 

[kiwigraeme]

More people die in the northern hemisphere from being cold. If air conditioning is such a strain we need more power plants run by coal and other fossil fuels. Nuclear is a great idea. People are going to die because of expensive energy. Windmeals and Solar are not the answer

This question has been debated for quite awhile - world wide they were considered equal hot vs cold
But heat will take over massively, easier to protect from cold

Add in heat driven storms. rain , hurricanes, wind - killing destroying crops , properties
Reduce food output, more acidic , less oxygenated waters. algae growth , wests , pests , more flies, mosquitos and diseases moving into more temperate areas

We who are well off have air conditioning. Yeah painting roofs white , taller ceilings , fans will help

Old people and babies very susceptible to heat stroke
Prolong heat waves increasing , no respite on stressed bodies at night

The heat death zone ," wet bulb temperature" is happening in more places.
Dry heat can kill, but if humidity is high, then body can not lose heat via sweating

Poor people can at least put on more clothes, yes the sleep on their roof or under trees already

Plus we are losing productive day time , as too hot to be outside in 40 degree or 100F plus sunshine . Countries hitting 50 degrees celcius -like I think that may be hot. exposed metal will burn you in seconds

More reason for those diabetic and obese to take the new drugs ASAP
Countries like China are going to be horrible in polluted cities in summer - hot polluted air filling your lungs

 

[RudyBob]

Any 'journalist' posting sky-is-falling nonsense like this deserves to have their bottom paddled. Over the last 150 years, the planet has warmed by approximately 1.5 degrees. And according to the 'polar amplification' predicted by basic global warming mechanics, the majority of warming occurs in the polar regions, meaning the amount occurring in the hottest areas of the planet is substantially less than this.


A fact that's true of the entire planet. Even in Africa, for instance, 1.18 million people die per year from cold, whereas only 25,000 a year die from heat. In Asia, 2.4 million a year die from cold; only 220,000 from heat. Even in Australia, cold still kills far more people a year than does heat.

https://www.monash.edu/medicine/new...lion-deaths-a-year-to-abnormal-temperatures#:

Thank You

 

[RudyBob]

Let's just run up the credit cards and have fun while we can.

Not good advice

 

[Endymio]

Add in heat driven storms. rain , hurricanes, wind - killing destroying crops , properties....

Except this isn't happening. Of the 10 decades from 1850 to 1950, 7 of them saw 20 or more hurricanes strike the US. Since 1950, no decade has seen that many. Not once. Measured by total global ACE (accumulated cyclone energy), the decade of the 1930s was the highest on record.

Speaking beyond hurricanes specifically, per-capita deaths from extreme weather events are today at the lowest point in all human history. The sky isn't falling, Chicken Little.

Dry heat can kill, but if humidity is high, then body can not lose heat via sweating ...

Sounds scary. But even in the humid jungles of Africa, people are dying of cold at more than 50 times the rate they're dying from heat.

 

[p51d007]

The earth has been warming pretty much since the last ice age, save for the "little" ice age in the 16-1700's.
It's MOSTLY caused by what happens on that tiny star 93,000,000 miles from earth called the sun. When the sun is active, the "burps" (CME) hit the magnetic bubble around our planet and can alter weather patterns.
In the 70's, mostly due to pollution/smog a lot of so called news publications were getting info from scientist that the earth was headed to a new ice age. In the 90's, these same scientist were calling it global warming, but, between solar cycle 22/23 the earth cooled down and they changed it from global warming to "climate change", and now they call it climate emergency.
Should we be good stewards of the earth? Absolutely, but man, other than a global nuclear war, isn't really going to screw up the climate.

 

[opckieran]

Wouldn't that release hazardous chemicals when burned? If it's made out of polypropylene?

 

[kiwigraeme]

Except this isn't happening. Of the 10 decades from 1850 to 1950, 7 of them saw 20 or more hurricanes strike the US. Since 1950, no decade has seen that many. Not once. Measured by total global ACE (accumulated cyclone energy), the decade of the 1930s was the highest on record.

Speaking beyond hurricanes specifically, per-capita deaths from extreme weather events are today at the lowest point in all human history. The sky isn't falling, Chicken Little.

Sounds scary. But even in the humid jungles of Africa, people are dying of cold at more than 50 times the rate they're dying from heat.

Not sure what your cherry picked point is. Hurricanes are predicted to be less in number, but stronger
My main point wasn't direct deaths anyway, but the destruction of crops and productive lands,
Huge sea storm surges putting salt on the land

I could have easily stated much more ways heat works directly and indirectly
eg stress on water tables going lower or having becoming mixed with pollutants as we see in certain States of the US.

I could have expanded things like diseases mosquito borne, ticks , cholera, typhoid , food more likely to spoil quickly. Electricity networks if you have a fridge or power to start with, will come under load by AC use - Even in the west - eg see Texas.

Lots of it's indirect, heating a city must mean more pollutants given of roads, paints etc

Areas becoming uninhabitable will cause climate refugees , possible conflicts and increase in anti-immigrant violence

Really no point in having a pointless less argue some minor point when the reports are already out there, it just a matter of mitigation
Many countries and the EU have set up funding and strategy to alleviate this
Don't see any of that for deaths by cold weather

Really pointless discussion as going forward not even close

Many wars/conflicts have started over water/resources
Why do we get these stories on climate boltholes
So many Billionaires have another home in NZ

Plus there is quality of life - Some places now government advises it's people not to be out during much of the day in summer

Where are all these people now dying from cold ?
I glad to live in NZ with oceans to temper the weather same for you in Ireland , mighty fine having no concern for all the people living in cities that now hit 50 degrees Celsius .
We saw what happened to Dr Mosley , have an accident , get caught out with water
thickening blood, shutdown of kidneys and liver- he dies extremely quickly though he was very fit for his age - Think about those in half the world no access to clean drinking water, E.coli, hep A in the water , pollutants , they need to drink more unhealthy water .
No sure that's your concern , but just to debate a cherry picked details and ignore the gist of if and put no real argument for deaths from cold weather increasing to offset increasing heat related deaths caused directly or indirectly by famine, war , violence

Incredible flooding , mudslides, fires in the last decade.

Another indirect way is insurance cost skyrocketing in west, leaving people stressed and less disposable income for electricity , food, health
You telling me the actuaries have it wrong ?

 

[Endymio]

Hurricanes are predicted to be less in number, but stronger

Oops! The global warming crowd originally predicted hurricanes to be much greater in number, as countless media reports and documentaries such as Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth" can attest. The fact that the evidence never supported such claims never bothered them.

Currently, the predictions are that storms will be some 5% stronger-- but there'll be some 30% less of them. A clear net win for mankind.

My main point wasn't direct deaths anyway, but the destruction of crops and productive lands...Huge sea storm surges putting salt on the land

Then you'll be relieved to find out this isn't happening. Global crop yields have risen dramatically every decade for the last century, still continue to rise, and not one single square acre of cropland has been destroyed by hurricanes "putting salt on the land".

Lots of it's indirect, heating a city must mean more pollutants given of roads, paints etc

LOL, this one made laugh so hard, I decided to skip debunking the remainder of your list. You're claiming an average temperature rise of 1.5 degrees is degrading our quality of life from pollution from "hot paint" in cities?

 

[scavengerspc]

Oops! The global warming crowd originally predicted hurricanes to be much greater in number, as countless media reports and documentaries such as Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth" can attest.

So you are basing your condescension towards @kiwigraeme on information that was available 18 years ago. That is damn pitiful. Even for you.

 

[Endymio]

So you are basing your condescension towards @kiwigraeme on information that was available 18 years ago. That is damn pitiful. Even for you.

You are far off base. My comments are based on his fearmongering statements, despite the data that is available today. Right now. If you wish to support his views, then by all means: list all the croplands being destroyed by hurricanes and the cities being polluted by "hot paint".

His nonsense is particularly despicable when one understands that cold weather still kills far more people each year that hot. A climate shift that warms the tropics by 3/4 of a degree, while warming the frigid upper latitudes by 3-4 degrees will save lives. Period.

 

[kiwigraeme]

Oops! The global warming crowd originally predicted hurricanes to be much greater in number, as countless media reports and documentaries such as Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth" can attest. The fact that the evidence never supported such claims never bothered them.

Currently, the predictions are that storms will be some 5% stronger-- but there'll be some 30% less of them. A clear net win for mankind.



Then you'll be relieved to find out this isn't happening. Global crop yields have risen dramatically every decade for the last century, still continue to rise, and not one single square acre of cropland has been destroyed by hurricanes "putting salt on the land".


LOL, this one made laugh so hard, I decided to skip debunking the remainder of your list. You're claiming an average temperature rise of 1.5 degrees is degrading our quality of life from pollution from "hot paint" in cities?

Your replies are silly . I thought I didn't need to give examples for such well known stuff - Given the average TS reader should understand basic physics
I just wrote the reply to the other poster as this is common knowledge heat will bring huge problems , like climate refugees.
OK to be smug in NZ and Ireland knowing full well disease, crop failure, insects , fires , floods , heat waves are on the increase and make up complete BS debating points that are irrelevant and untrue. No one will make heaven on earth, we are the custodians

You have posted elsewhere you think the world can sustain was it 5 or 8 times the population ?.
What do you believe it, what is it you support. Dialogue is meaningless with those who do not give of themselves.I have been very honest in what my values are. Your arguments are irrelevant and cherry picked , build on no foundation that you will state. You are afraid to give of yourself , just post misinformation by big corporations with no souls or value nothing but the pursuit of wealth and power


here are a few notable examples of hurricanes and typhoons causing significant seawater inundation and affecting farmland:

1. Hurricane Katrina (2005):
   • Location: New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
   • Impact: Although Katrina is primarily known for its devastating effects on New Orleans due to levee failures, the storm also led to extensive flooding in surrounding agricultural areas. Saltwater intrusion from storm surges affected farmland, leading to long-term damage to crops and soil.
2. Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) (2013):
   • Location: Philippines
   • Impact: Typhoon Haiyan was one of the strongest tropical cyclones ever recorded. It caused massive storm surges that inundated agricultural lands in the central Philippines, particularly in areas like Leyte and Samar. The saltwater intrusion had severe impacts on rice and other crops, requiring extensive recovery efforts.
3. Hurricane Harvey (2017):
   • Location: Texas, USA
   • Impact: Harvey's record rainfall caused widespread flooding in Houston and surrounding areas. While it was the rainfall that primarily led to the flooding, storm surges from the hurricane also affected coastal agricultural areas, damaging crops and altering soil conditions.
4. Typhoon Mangkhut (Ompong) (2018):
   • Location: Philippines and Hong Kong
   • Impact: Typhoon Mangkhut brought powerful winds and storm surges that affected agricultural lands in the Philippines and parts of southern China. The storm surge led to saltwater intrusion, impacting rice fields and other crops.
5. Hurricane Ian (2022):
   • Location: Florida, USA
   • Impact: Hurricane Ian caused severe flooding and storm surge along Florida's Gulf Coast. The surge inundated farmlands, leading to significant damage to crops and the need for extensive cleanup and restoration efforts.

These examples illustrate how hurricanes and typhoons can severely impact agricultural lands through seawater inundation, affecting both the immediate and long-term productivity of the land.

Yes, pollutants can rise in hot cities due to various factors associated with urban environments. Here's how it generally works:

1. Heat and Air Quality: Hot temperatures can exacerbate air pollution problems. For example, heat can increase the formation of ground-level ozone, a harmful air pollutant, by accelerating chemical reactions between nitrogen oxides (NOx) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the presence of sunlight.
2. Emissions from Paints and Roads: Many urban pollutants come from sources like paints, asphalt, and vehicle emissions. Paints and road materials can release VOCs into the atmosphere, which contribute to the formation of ozone and smog. The heat can increase the rate at which these VOCs react in the atmosphere.
3. Urban Heat Island Effect: Cities tend to be hotter than their rural surroundings due to the heat-retaining properties of buildings, roads, and other infrastructure. This "urban heat island" effect can amplify the impact of pollutants by making it easier for them to accumulate and persist in the atmosphere.
4. Air Circulation: High temperatures can influence air circulation patterns, sometimes leading to poor dispersion of pollutants and trapping them close to the ground.

Overall, the combination of higher temperatures and pollutants from sources like paints and roads can lead to worsened air quality in hot urban areas.

 

[Endymio]

here are a few notable examples of hurricanes and typhoons causing significant seawater inundation and affecting farmland:

1. Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) (2013):
   • Location: Philippines
   • Impact: Typhoon Haiyan was one of the strongest tropical cyclones ever recorded. It caused massive storm surges that inundated agricultural lands in the central Philippines, particularly in areas like Leyte and Samar. The saltwater intrusion had severe impacts on rice and other crops...

Oops! Despite the cut-and-paste fearmongering, the data shows a very different picture, with Philippines crop output increasing not just after that 2013 typhoon, but up sharply every decade for the last century.

note: the dip in the graph came in 2016, due to a drop in rice prices. Production rose in 2014 and again in 2015:

2013: 98.7
2014: 100.6
2015: 100.8



Clearly, neither typhoons in particular or global warming is degrading their croplands. As for rice in particular, their production has grown even faster, setting a new record just last year:

The Manila Bulletin: "The Philippines has produced a record-high 20 million metric tons of rice in 2023, beating by 1.5 percent the country’s rice production record in 2022...."

1. ... Many urban pollutants come from sources like paints, asphalt, and vehicle emissions. Paints and road materials can release VOCs into the atmosphere, which contribute to the formation of ozone and smog. The heat can increase the rate at which these VOCs react in the atmosphere.

Once again, the facts don't bear out your alarmism. Air quality from VOC emissions in US cities has improved dramatically over the last 50 years:



So much for your claim that "hot paint in cities" is degrading our quality of life. The sky isn't falling, Chicken Little.

 

[wiyosaya]

Any 'journalist' posting sky-is-falling nonsense like this deserves to have their bottom paddled. Over the last 150 years, the planet has warmed by approximately 1.5 degrees. And according to the 'polar amplification' predicted by basic global warming mechanics, the majority of warming occurs in the polar regions, meaning the amount occurring in the hottest areas of the planet is substantially less than this.


A fact that's true of the entire planet. Even in Africa, for instance, 1.18 million people die per year from cold, whereas only 25,000 a year die from heat. In Asia, 2.4 million a year die from cold; only 220,000 from heat. Even in Australia, cold still kills far more people a year than does heat.

https://www.monash.edu/medicine/new...lion-deaths-a-year-to-abnormal-temperatures#:

I disagree with your "sky is falling" analogy. I see it more as a "Boy who cried wolf" situation, and we all know what happened when the population chose to ignore him at a point when they should have listened, don't we? Hey, if you want to spread your FUD, I'll spread FUD, too..

OOPS! While the basic facts of your post are correct, the situation appears more complicated than the simplistic, numbers-based picture you paint. It appears that most temperature related deaths are not because of extremes, at least so far, but because of extended periods of temperature below norms for a particular region and people not knowing how to adapt.

How many people die from extreme temperatures, and how this could change in the future: Part one

Cold deaths vastly outnumber heat-related ones, but mostly due to “moderate” rather than extremely cold conditions.

ourworldindata.org

And climate change may have an effect on temperature related deaths perhaps increasing heat related deaths - https://ourworldindata.org/part-two...tures-and-how-could-this-change-in-the-future
That's the people not listening to the "boy who cried wolf".

Research continues in the field. I'll place my trust in the people doing the research, and the research done rather than the random guy on the internet trying to shame others into oblivion by calling them names.