May “stuff”
Well, I did not want to use “news” too many times in the titles so… you get “stuff”.
Heat waves and Austin, Texas. I am unsure as to how I should take this news. A new mandate for Austin metropolis area, covering residential buildings, goes something like this: “To enhance protections during extreme heat events, the updated code requires that all buildings — both new and existing — provide and maintain air conditioning systems that can keep indoor temperatures no higher than 85 °F and at least 15 °F cooler than outside,”.
This is not the first resolution/mandate of its kind. The underlying goal to reduce health risks. There is some flexibility in terms of what type of system is used. Greater number of AC do feed into the problem of rising energy use and warmer microclimates in urban areas (they are dumping indoor heat outside). The need would be complimentary mandates to improve urban microclimates and passive design strategies so that the need for AC can be minimized. Using AC as a fix for bad design will cost us more eventually.
Thermal comfort and sleep and adaptive behaviours. Sleep is an important part of your day. It is to rest, to recuperate, and to ensure you can perform optimally while leading a healthy life. And bedroom indoor climate has a significant impact on sleep. This study on bedroom comfort and sleep quality examines sleep-indoor climate relations in hot-humid climates.
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The study found non-AC users reduced bedding insulation to adapt to the warmer sleep thermal conditions. There seems to be an optimal combination of temperature and bedding insulation needed for best results of sleep efficiency. Cooler that 26 C bedroom temperatures could even reduce sleep efficiency without adequate bedding insulation.
Global snapshot of climate-related school disruptions in 2024. This is a report by UNICEF on how the changing climate is disrupting children's education. In 2024, an estimated 1 out of 7 children had their education disrupted due to climate hazards. Education is one of the most frequently disrupted services due to climate change. It is also the one most frequently missing in policy discussions. Education accounted for only 1.3% of different climate-related official development assistance in 2020.
It is important to note that in 2024, the most significant climate threat to schooling disruption was not something dramatic like a tornado or a flood. It was heatwaves. In 2024, heatwaves affected about 171 million students. Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Philippines, and Thailand were the major affected nations. This highlights the need for designing future classrooms with climate resilience in mind. During a heatwave, can we have classrooms that ensure a suitable learning environment and keep the children safe?
