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A New Cooling Technology Protects Against Severe Heat and Viral Spread
In the face of dangerous heat waves this summer, Americans have taken shelter in air-conditioned cooling centers. Normally, that would be a wise choice, but during a pandemic, indoor shelters present new risks. The same air conditioning systems that keep us cool recirculate air around us, potentially spreading the coronavirus. “Air conditioners look like they’re bringing in air from the outsideREAD MORE
Cool Designs to Guard Against Flooding (PHOTOS)
Architect Ruurd Gietema lives in The Netherlands, a country perennially trying to hold back the sea. He said his homeland has paid a price for the high dikes and tall dunes it built to thwart rising waters and prevent flooding. “Protection was a high priority, but landscapes were erased,” Gietema said. This fact is not lostREAD MORE
Racist Housing Policies Have Left Communities of Color at Greater Risk of Extreme Heat
Extreme heat often kills more people in this country than hurricanes, floods, lightning and tornadoes. But heat is not an equal opportunity killer. “It’s very selective in the way it kills people,” said Vivek Shandas, professor of urban studies and planning at Portland State University in Oregon, whose new study, published in the journal Climate, evaluatedREAD MORE
The Innovative Design of One of the World’s Largest Net-Zero Buildings
It is hard to build a net-zero building — one that produces more energy than it consumes — in the middle of a city. For one thing, nearby skyscrapers might block sunlight from reaching rooftop solar panels. For another, urban office buildings are cramped for space, and it generally isn’t possible to set up wind turbines on site. But MartineREAD MORE
Big Automakers Grudgingly Buy Into EVs. Oil Majors Still Lag Behind.
In just three years, many electric cars will sport the same sticker price as their gas-powered counterparts, according to a recent analysis. Electrification, as well as other advances like ride-sharing and driverless cars, will radically overhaul the transportation sector. The next decade will see sweeping changes to the way we get around, and everyone is copingREAD MORE