Heat Wave: Cooling Our Cities Without Air Conditioning

Humans are increasingly reliant on air conditioning, but its use contributes to global warming. As the world warms and demand rises, how can we make A/C sustainable? In Spain and India, Kal Penn explores two innovative solutions.

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Getting Warmer is Bloomberg's exclusive new show about climate, clean energy and business, anchored by actor and former White House aide Kal Penn.

Accompany him on his journey as he takes an up-close look at bold climate solutions and discovers new facets of the global transition to clean energy.

In a hosted studio segment, Penn sifts through the overwhelming news about our climate and breaks down the facts and trends to understand with a dose of humor and optimism. Why are the recycling symbols on your plastic cups misleading? How does the carbon credit market work and does it actually help? And what is the future of water in a drought-ridden world?

On the road, Penn meets the innovators, researchers, communities and businesses pivoting to new energy sources and spearheading low-carbon technologies. In documentary segments, Penn speaks to the self-declared “crypto cowboys” of Texas who claim Bitcoin mining can help stabilize the state’s troubled electrical grid, and travels to Nevada to visit the company attempting to build America’s first closed-loop supply chain for electric vehicles. In New York, Penn explores the urban designs proposed to save the city from the next Superstorm Sandy and goes inside New York’s Empire State building to investigate the challenges of decarbonizing our cities and landmarks.

The show builds on, and includes contributions from, Bloomberg Green’s award-winning team of climate journalists as well as London-based climate storytellers Jack Harries and Alice Aedy. With a focus on the most pressing questions for young viewers, Jack and Alice unpack one big idea each episode. From recycled wastewater to regenerative agriculture and the challenges of a just transition for workers in the energy sector, they’ll break down how countries across the world are finding intriguing solutions to our climate crisis, and outline the challenges ahead.

You can also watch on Bloomberg TV (BTV) at 10p ET.

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[ncubesays]

I'm from Zimbabwe and I recall correcting someone when I was studying in the US who was making fun of 'mud huts', calling them primitive when in actual fact they have amazing thermal efficiency for the climate they are in. I even gave an example of Eastgate Centre in Harare, the largest shopping mall in the country constructed in the 1990s which naturally cools itself. Unfortunately, I don't think it was enough to convince them otherwise.

[sureshruparel]

Indian villages often used the clay roof tiles which kept cool inside houses red clay tiles called manglore tiles

[EcoHouseThailand]

Based in Thailand I selected a bright white steel roof as a "fly-roof" (large open space under the roof) a 5m wrap around roof to keep sun off the walls and windows. An open staircase under the fly roof to allow hot air to rise and escape "stack effect ventilation" Walls are bright white and windows are very small mounted up high under the wrap around roof. Double aerated concrete block walls with foil and foam between. Foam also under the floor and in the ceilings. I am able to power my house and EV from home solar.

[ritesh.khandekar]

I live in India, my grandparents put few layers of limestone powder in the rooftop (it's amazing that they find this solution themselves as they have never went to school, sometimes I wonder how they're so smart).

So in summer vacation I went to their house for a few days and it was freaking cool almost like 23°c when the weather was 40°c 🤯

[cl]

I live in a house with a backyard filled with bushes and trees, while the front yard with mostly concrete. I can literally feel the difference of air and temperature. I can have a relaxing afternoon in the backyard at 12nn - 3pm without air condition even when its 95 degrees Fahrenheit.

[ecoideazventures]

Proud to see a bunch of Indian scientists in the forefront of this cooling edge technology!

[sambeaumont]

This is all very well, great ways to cool the insides of buildings, but we also need to cool the exterior.

Less roads, less concrete more nature.

[Earth]

This is remarkable. Cooling will be one of the biggest challenges of the world in the future. Please make more of similar content

[ethantarragano]

I fully agree on the fact that we should first reduce our needs of cold air during summer with solutions as suggested in the video, but also by a better insulation. As for making our air conditionning greener we have to develop low carbon energy such as renewables and nuclear energy, change the nature of the refrigerant fluid !!

[luis]

As an HVAC tech, i can see all of this makes sense, but as anything, there are disadvantages with all this, like the coolers of the market based on water, this works ok only in dry climates where evaporation is easier, and the water consumption is huge. White roofs make sense on only hot climates, you dont wanna use this in the north where they get very hot summers and very cold winters. It will help, but it wont stop air conditioning, we always want 70-75F in our houses.

[dew]

Thats why mud huts is something many people in India and around the world, are rooting for. Sustainable, and we humans beinga a part of nature, its natural ❤💯

[udishomer]

Better insulated walls
Better insulated windows
Reflective roofs
Trees
Evaporative cooling systems (like at that fish market)
Electric cars (fossil fuel engines emit lots of heat and raise the city temperature)
Raising temperatures in work places and shopping centers (which are often kept very cold for no reason)

[dogegamer]

Use drapes and keep them closed in the day. At night open your windows with screens. Works wonders.

[akshatsrivastava]

Experts, researchers and engineers have to understand that earthly materials, plants, trees, ways to increase efficiency and reduce energy demands could help solving problems and not the space instruments shielding technologies could help reduce Mother Earth's temperature.

[QED]

Very informative.... hope these solutions reach the common people in India and other countries and are financially viable

[Zaihanisme]

I'm imagining the SkyCool film being applied onto louvres and blinds to passively cool and keep heat out of any window, especially in humid tropical regions where evaporative cooling would just not work.
A lot of modern design based on European tastes or temperate climates with giant windows and skylights have been stupidly adopted by architects of equatorial places, making for unnecessary heat gain that ultimately ups the need for air-conditioning.

[Ana-mpmy]

In Brazil, some people recycle milk packages by creating a mantle of them and putting it on the ceiling with some space between it and the roof. Idk the specifics of it but I went to a house that had that system in the bedrooms but not on the rest of the rooms and the difference in temperature was stark clear

[makingapoint]

US streets lack trees. As do their houses. trees will greatly improve the temperature arround them.

[rahulsinghal]

Finally an innovation in the cooling industry. I always thought Air Conditioners are not the best product considering the energy used and waste by the system. Really looking forward to see SkyCooler technology more in India at a larger scale

[TomTom-xpjb]

Ever seen Bucky Fuller' idea of natural cooling using cool air intakes at the bottom of any structure and hot air exhaust vents on the top. Very simple concept but very efficient.