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Imagens de prédio com centenas de aparelhos de ar conditionado nas janelas em Nanjing, China.
©Nature: Feng Botao/Visual China Group/Getty

Nature, 27 August 2024

The cool technologies that could protect cities from dangerous heat

From supercool materials that send heat into space to shape-shifting materials that can selectively fend it off, scientists are finding new strategies to reduce urban temperatures.

It’s time to brace for record-breaking heat. Last year was the hottest on record and 2024 is shaping up to be even more extreme, with the mercury soaring close to 50 °C on days in Nevada, Egypt and Australia. June marked the 13th month in a row of chart-topping temperatures globally. And four consecutive days in July were the hottest in recorded history for the entire planet.

Scorching temperatures spur water shortages, damage crops, strain electricity grids and trigger heat stress and mass mortality — killing close to 500,000 people each year, according to one estimate. So scientists are working hard to develop innovative ways to cool cities and slash electricity use in the warming world. Advances range from high-efficiency air conditioners to special materials that keep surfaces colder than their surroundings without using electricity.

Read all here.