Summer is here, and I know for me living in the Pacific Northwest, I'm about ready to just lay out and sun myself like a lizard. I've missed you sun. But with the good comes the bad, in the form of high heat across the US, Europe, South Asia, and Africa. Let's learn about how we can stay cool through all this heat. And remember, there are only 57 companies that are linked to 80% of greenhouse gasses. Knowledge is the power to effect change.
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design
I've shared this so many times now, but what's one more? When the ambient temperature and humidity rise to specific levels, it becomes impossible for the sweat that a human produces to evaporate. That means you can overheat, sometimes fatally. The measurement of this temperature and humidity equation is called the wet bulb temperature.
I created a wet bulb calculator so that you can check and see if it's safe to go outside, and for how long. Please use it if your area is experiencing a heat wave! (I know it still needs to be styled, but the math works!)
nature
This is a great overview on how animals adapt to a changing climate. And there's some fascinating information on how phenotypic plasticity—the ability of an animal to change a behavior, modify the body, or alter timing of activities based on their environment—is helping animals survive.
reimagine
The malqaf, also known as a bad-ghir, windcatcher, or wind tower, has been used for three millennia in the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia to naturally cool buildings built in hot climates.
It catches the cooler breeze higher up and directs it down toward the lower area of the structure, creating an effective cooling and ventilation system. In turn, the hot air starts to rise and escapes back out through the wind tower.
And an added benefit of these wind towers is that they are really quite stunning. This ancient innovation is still being used in modern architecture to cool homes; and an apartment building in Turin used this system in their new apartment building, to create a more energy efficient cooling and heating system.
