“Fewer than half of Africans have a reliable electricity supply, and extreme heat will only exacerbate this issue,” Dr Radhika Khosla told China Dialogue. “Communities that rely on off-grid energy sources will be particularly vulnerable in the face of rising energy demands.”
Switzerland, UK and Norway will see the world’s most dramatic relative increase in days that require cooling interventions – such as window shutters, ventilation, fans, or air conditioning – if the world overshoots 1.5 ºC of warming, according to new University of Oxford research
"We need to start adapting to the world that lies beyond 1.5C. That means putting sustainable cooling on the agenda," - Bloomberg climate opinion editor Lara Williams explores new research co-authored by Dr Radhika Khosla, which finds Switzerland, UK and Norway will face a huge adaptation challenge if the world hits 2.0C of warming.
Dr Radhika Khosla was interviewed on BBC Newsnight about new Smith School and Oxford Martin School research predicting the impact of rising temperatures on climate adaptation requirements for cooling across the world. "“I think it's a wakeup call for countries like the UK, for countries in Europe that are not traditionally hot… The elderly, children, outdoor workers, and others - are going to be under extreme threat, and their health, their morbidity and mortality and their productivity is going to be affected,” she said. (23 mins in)
As the UK swelters in heatwaves driven by the El Nino weather pattern, which has pushed up global temperatures in recent weeks, the Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) launches a new inquiry on heat resilience and sustainable cooling.
Singapore's reliance on air conditioning has an enormous cost. It has trapped a nation already hot – and getting hotter – in what experts describe as a “dangerous, vicious cycle,” writes CNN. With comment from Dr Radhika Khosla, Principal Investigator of the Oxford Martin School Programme on the Future of Cooling.
Dr Radhika Khosla was interviewed about the impact of rising temperatures across the world. "Air conditioning demand is expected to rise three fold up to 2050.... The implications of that for the environment are of course very damaging," she said.
Parts of Europe are experiencing exceptionally warm temperatures this winter. Dr Radhika Khosla told channel 5 that "every heatwave occurring today has been made more intense and more likely because of climate change."
Keeping cool will be a priority as the world warms, but there needs to be a technological, cultural and economic shift in the way we keep cool, according to new Oxford Smith School research.
As record-breaking heat hits the UK and USA, Dr Radhika Khosla, co-Director of the Oxford Martin Programme on the Future of Cooling, speaks with the New York Times about how to keep people cool - without cooking the planet.