The UK Green Building Council has warned that many homes, schools, offices and care homes in the UK are not prepared for the effects of global warming, calling for millions of buildings to be adapted to mitigate the effects of rising temperatures.
In a report titled UK Climate Resilience Roadmap, which will be published publicly later today, the UK Green Building Council (UKGBS) claims that climate resilience should be declared a national emergency, according to British newspaper The Guardian.
The report aims to set out a plan to make buildings more resilient in a future with increased heatwaves, flooding and storms, stating that failing to adapt the built environment will result in increased injury, health impacts and deaths.
“We need a fundamental rethink if we are to help protect people”
“The UK is not ready for the extreme weather events of today, even less so for the hotter, wetter and wilder climate that is already racing down the track at us,” said UKGBS chief executive Simon McWhirter, reported The Guardian.
“Our homes, schools, hospitals, parks and offices are on the frontline, protecting and nurturing us,” he continued. “We need a fundamental rethink if we are to help protect people and our way of life.”
Through thermodynamic modelling, UKGBS found that in a low-warming scenario – where temperatures rise two degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels – schools in London and the southeast will experience 10 weeks of extreme heat of 28 degrees Celsius and above a year.
In the same scenario, UKGBS also predicted that six million houses and apartments in London and the southeast will experience extreme heat three weeks a year, while care homes in the same areas will experience extreme heat four weeks a year.
The report claimed that, compared to older buildings, modern offices are more susceptible to overheating because of expansive glass facades and lightweight construction.
Proposals in the report to adapt buildings for rising temperatures include installing solar shading devices, replacing conventional glass with solar glass, and opting for passive cooling techniques over energy-intensive air conditioning.
Flooding could render UK towns uninhabitable
To help prepare buildings for the future, UKGBS proposes that the Cabinet Office establish a minister for resilience, that legal objectives ensure climate safety is considered in planning decisions, and that trees, parks, and ponds are protected.
It also demands that future homes be built to standards prepared for increased climate hazards and that a retrofit strategy be implemented to make existing homes climate-safe.
In addition to warning of the effects of overheating, the report examines the threat of wildfires, drought, storms and floods, claiming that towns such as Peterborough and Fairbourne will be uninhabitable by the end of the century due to flooding.
Proposals to help mitigate heatwaves that have previously been published on Dezeen include painting yoghurt on the outside of windows, while Arup specialist Dima Zogheib claims thousands of heat-related deaths can be prevented by planting more trees in cities.
The photo is by Saufi Mazlan via Unsplash.
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