Original version

BBC World Service West and Central Africa Schedule

BBC World Service West and Central Africa

Discovery

Documentaries

Factual: Science & Nature

Factual: Science & Nature: Science & Technology

BBC World Service Australasia

BBC World Service East and Southern Africa Schedule

BBC World Service East and Southern Africa

BBC World Service Online

BBC World Service schedule for American satellite radio and the Caribbean

BBC World Service Americas and the Caribbean

BBC World Service

BBC World Service Europe and the Middle East

BBC World Service South Asia

BBC World Service East Asia

Discovery: Cooling the City

Cooling the City

22/10/2018 GMT

BBC World Service - Discovery, Cooling the CitySearch BBC

How can we adapt and prepare our cities for extreme weather conditions?

The summer of 2003 saw the largest number of deaths ever recorded in a UK heatwave - but by 2040 climate models predict the extreme summer temperatures experienced then will be normal. We will also be experiencing colder winters, and droughts and floods will become more common. 

Our infrastructure, housing, water, sewerage, transport and public buildings are not designed for such conditions. Gaia Vince asks how we can adapt and prepare our cities, where most people live and work, for the new normal weather conditions. 

New buildings in temperate climates are now designed with keeping us warm in mind, better insulation, more efficient heating and airtight glazing. However when it comes to overheating these measures designed to keep out the cold can be part of the problem. 

Can we adapt solutions from other countries where extreme heat is a more usual seasonal event? 

Will we simply have to change the way we organise our day to keep out of the heat? Is the real answer for mad dogs and Englishmen to take a siesta?

Picture: Wood thermometer, Credit: Ugurhan/Getty Images

Accessibility links

Programme Index

Discovery

Cooling the City

Genres

Formats

Brand

BBC World Service West and Central Africa

About BBC World Service