THE LATEST IPCC REPORT &
SUSTAINABLE BUILDING SOLUTIONS
August 9, 2021
Today the UN's International Panel on Climate Change released their most stark warnings and report yet, showing that humans have contributed to current climate-change disasters and this will continue unless people and governments worldwide implement drastic and rapid changes that shift global energy consumption to renewables and, most importantly, reduce total energy demand radically.
The first objective—shifting to renewable energy sources—has not been achieved and its progress is lagging behind our need to address climate change.
The second objective—reducing energy demand—is much more easily achievable. Heat Abatement Technology is one of the leading solutions, because it can be added to existing buildings with minimal effort and cost. TMX's portfolio of patented Heat Abatement Technologies have been engineered precisely for this purpose.
The IPCC's report states that "Cities intensify human-induced warming locally, and further urbanization together with more frequent hot extremes will increase the severity of heatwaves (very high confidence)." (IPCC SPM-33). Goldman Sachs, among others, has urged investors to support technologies that reduce the "heat island effect." The New York Times has published impressive graphics display of how much hotter cities have become in our lifetime.
Credit: Nadja Popovic, Blacki Migliozzi, Rumsey Taylor, Josh Williams, Derek Watkins and Troy Grigg for the New York Times, 2018.
By reducing how much heat buildings absorb, TMX's solutions reduce the need for air conditioner use, which in turn reduces energy demand in areas most at risk, while also lessening the "heat island" effect which has made cities so much hotter, and often unlivable, in summer. Anyone who has lived in an urban area knows that temperatures in cities are usually much higher than in forested or rural areas. Besides the lack of trees and their cooling effects, the "heat island effect" is due to existing buildings' use of antiquated technologies that absorb heat while being unable to retain cool air efficiently. This requires air conditioners to be constantly on, spewing hot air into the urban space, while cooling indoor spaces. Since most buildings are not well insulated, most of the cool air escapes quickly, requiring the air conditioners to operate at full throttle—much like running a refrigerator with the door open—wasting energy and adding to the "heat island effect."
If Heat Abatement Technology is applied to the exterior of the building, the need for air conditioners can be reduced up to 30%. TMX achieves this by applying coating to existing roofs and building walls, which are engineered and calibrated on a nanoscale to reflect light more efficiently than any other building material currently available.
It may seem counterintuitive that something may reflect sun rays more efficiently than a white surface—though most roofs in the US and globally are dark or black—but if you're familiar with how physical sunscreen works, you can understand how TMX's patented Heat Abatement Technology works. The urgency for the adoption of these solutions could not be more clear, in light of today's scientific report from the UN's IPCC. The report also included an atlas that allows the public to see where in the world climate changes will result in many more days above safe outdoor temperatures.
The map shows in black areas that will have more than 100 days a year of temperatures above 95º F (35ºC), which is considered unsafe for prolonged exposure for people. These vast areas cover the most populous regions of the world, including many metropolises like Los Angeles, San Francisco, Houston, São Paulo, Sydney, Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Mumbai, Delhi, Lahore, Karachi, and many more. These areas cover, in fact, all the regions of the world that have high and rising population.
Most of the buildings in these regions have no air conditioning, but are converting quickly to meet the needs of their inhabitants. That means that energy demand from these regions will increase tremendously over the next two decades, and the fuel used to produce such energy will largely be coal, gas, oil and dirty biofuels. All of these will create additional greenhouse gas emissions and contribute to warming the planet.
In order to break this vicious cycle, we must adopt sustainable and efficient building solutions. TMX's patented Heat Abatement Technologies offer that solution, which will save energy for consumers, make cities more livable, and help the world reach its climate goals.