Beyond the Headlines: Future-proofing cities

This summer is breaking temperature records like never before. The rising mercury is a reminder of the effects of climate change.

Unless drastic action is taken, the high temperatures of recent weeks will become increasingly common. Failing to find sustainable ways to heat and cool our offices and homes when temperatures soar — or plummet in winter — could lead to more carbon dioxide being produced, as more people turn to AC units or turn up their thermostats. But experts say there’s another way. Rethink our built environment.

Increasingly, architects are turning to passive cooling methods to keep the heat down in summer. Better insulation is offering more efficient heating in winter, but more is needed.

On this episode of Beyond the Headlines, first broadcast in 2019, we spoke to David Shipworth, professor of energy and the built environment at University College London. He told us about how we can rethink our urban environment to make extreme weather more manageable without costing the Earth.

We also spoke to Karim El Jisr, who established The Sustainable City Institute — a global platform for advancing knowledge in sustainability and the built environment.