Heatwaves are occurring more frequently and causing growing problems for people, the environment and the economy. Scientists in Seville are devising solutions for making public spaces cooler.
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00:00As temperatures soar and the streets empty here in Seville, so do the shops.
00:07Bad news, especially for small retailers.
00:10For stores like ours, that are located in the city centre, sales have always been lowest
00:17from the end of June through August.
00:22The city has put up fabric shades to protect pedestrians from the sun, but shopkeepers
00:27also feel the heat, and July and August are more low season for hotels too.
00:35Hotels have started developing spaces that they didn't used to, such as outdoor patios,
00:41including swimming pools for guests to enjoy, which wasn't very common in Seville ten or
00:45fifteen years ago.
00:48One prospect for Seville, this open-plan space is very popular when it's just too hot outside.
00:56It's 30 degrees Celsius in here, but over 42 outside, that's a huge difference.
01:04The building on the city's former expo grounds is called Cartuja Canat, and is literally
01:09cool.
01:11Engineers from the University of Seville set out to make the public space pleasant even
01:15in 40 degrees Celsius heat, without simply installing giant air conditioning units.
01:22We've created spaces where people can feel comfortable at hotter times of the day, say
01:28from noon to 7pm, and which they can also use for recreation or whatever they want.
01:34These places are increasingly important, and at more and more locations around the world.
01:40Climate change is not just about one city, it's a global issue.
01:48The cooling works with water stored in underground tanks, the Canat system, developed by ancient
01:54Persians.
01:55It's used to chill the air and blow it through the building's floor and walls.
02:00The cooling water even flows through the roof.
02:04And underground, the building's basement is full of pumps and filters.
02:08Too much technology and ultimately a waste of energy?
02:12No, although it might seem that way.
02:15The energy that we generate with our rooftop solar panels is actually more than we need.
02:21So it's sustainable.
02:25The water stored underground and night-time evaporative cooling are what makes this system
02:31work.
02:32The team shows us just how during the day.
02:34The night sky is cooler, all the heat is released into the air.
02:40The water temperature drops and we store it again.
02:44We have two large tanks full of water, and by dawn they're about 20 degrees Celsius.
02:51The narrow lanes in Seville's old town provide shelter from the summer heat, in contrast
02:57to the newer neighborhoods, which are fully exposed to the sun and deserted in the afternoon.
03:03It's here that the scientists want to introduce some fresh air.
03:09We chose the paving carefully, and in the future we'll have a lot of shade from the
03:14leafy trees that we just planted.
03:17It'll be a kind of giant parasol that will adjust itself to the vegetation.
03:25We also have a bioclimatic bench, and down there we have a series of louvers that blow
03:32out cold air.
03:37This also uses the Canat technology and has a fountain designed to block hot wind and
03:43cool the air at the same time.
03:46Here will be a rest area, and our air and water treatment will reduce the temperature
03:52by 10 degrees Celsius.
03:57The square was supposed to be fully functional this summer, but was delayed by an error in
04:01the proposal, which has also affected the team's latest project, a cooling bus stop.
04:08It's worked so far as a lab prototype.
04:11With its rainwater-based cooling circuit and solar-powered pumps, it should be sustainable.
04:17Bus stops play a key role during heatwaves.
04:23If we install them throughout the city, we'll have a heat shelter network.
04:27Recent studies have shown just how urgently needed such cooling spaces are.
04:32Hotter weather causes tourists to spend less money or stay away altogether, a problem in
04:37the future, say tourism experts.
04:40If temperatures keep rising, tourists will think twice about traveling further inland
04:46in Andalusia and places like Murcia or Extremadura.
04:50It will be a challenge, just like it's already a challenge to travel to central Morocco.
04:58The researchers' findings and innovations in Seville are available to the public as
05:03they're not patented.
05:07The team's priority is to ensure that people can actively enjoy life in the heat.