Existing global energy projections underestimate the impact of climate change on urban heating and cooling systems by roughly 50% by 2099 if greenhouse gas emissions remain high, researchers report.
Existing global energy projections underestimate the impact of climate change on urban heating and cooling systems by roughly 50% by 2099 if greenhouse gas emissions remain high, researchers report. This disparity could profoundly affect critical sustainable energy planning for the future.
Existing studies predominantly concentrate on chemical feedback loops, which are large-scale processes involving complex interactions between energy use, greenhouse gas emissions and the atmosphere. However, a research group led by the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign focuses on the often-overlooked physical interactions between urban infrastructure and the atmosphere that can contribute to local microclimates and, ultimately, global climate.
A new study led by civil and environmental engineering professor Lei Zhao emphasizes that smaller-scale city-level waste heat from residential and commercial property heating and cooling efforts can lead to big impacts on local climates and energy use. The study findings are published in the journal Nature Climate Change.
Read more at: University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
A new study by University of Illinois engineers found that urban heating and cooling will play a substantial role in future energy demand under climate change. Photo Credit: Tinou Bao
