Can We Beat The Heat Without Air-Conditioning? | Talking Point | Full Episode
Summary
TLDRThe script explores the impact of urban heat in Singapore through the lens of a single mother and her family's struggle with rising temperatures. It features a Singaporean climate scientist and a team of experts who offer practical solutions to improve ventilation and reduce indoor heat. The video also delves into broader urban planning strategies, such as cool coatings and virtual modeling tools, aimed at mitigating heat island effects and enhancing the city's resilience to climate change.
Takeaways
- 🌡️ Singapore is experiencing record high temperatures, with some areas reaching over 30°C.
- 🏞️ Green spaces and low-density development areas in Singapore are cooler by up to 10°C compared to high-density urban areas.
- 🚗 High-density areas with limited greenery and more traffic have higher temperatures due to trapped heat from vehicles and lack of shade.
- 👴 Vulnerable populations, such as the elderly and those with lower incomes, are more exposed to heat stress and are often located in hotter areas.
- 🏘️ Physical exposure to heat varies across Singapore, with certain neighborhoods like Jurong West being particularly vulnerable due to a combination of high temperatures and socio-economic factors.
- 👩👦👦 Single mother Fion and her family are struggling with the heat and cannot afford air conditioning, resorting to using multiple fans and ice bags to cool down.
- 🛠️ A team of experts is working on a project to help Singaporean households cope with heat by redesigning spaces for better ventilation and introducing energy-efficient cooling solutions.
- 🌬️ Improving air circulation and reducing clutter in homes can significantly lower indoor temperatures and make living conditions more comfortable.
- 🛏️ Using breathable materials like cotton for bed sheets and introducing air coolers can help reduce indoor temperatures without the high energy consumption of air conditioners.
- 🏢 Singapore's town planners are testing cool coating paint on buildings to reflect heat and reduce temperatures, as well as using modeling tools to simulate and optimize urban environments for better heat management.
- 🌳 Urban planning efforts include designing buildings and public spaces to maximize wind flow and shade, which can help to naturally cool down neighborhoods.
Q & A
What is the main issue discussed in the video script?
-The main issue discussed in the video script is the problem of urban heat in Singapore and how it affects different parts of the island and its residents, especially the vulnerable populations.
Who is the first Singaporean elected to the United Nations top climate science body mentioned in the script?
-The script does not provide the name of the individual who is the first Singaporean elected to the United Nations top climate science body.
What is the average temperature in Singapore mentioned in the video?
-The average temperature mentioned in the video is about 30°C, but it feels twice as hot due to the lack of breeze.
What are some of the factors that contribute to the heat vulnerability in Singapore?
-Factors contributing to heat vulnerability in Singapore include physical exposure to high temperatures, concentration of elderly population, unemployment, low income, and limited access to resources such as air conditioning.
How does the video script illustrate the difference in temperature between different areas in Singapore?
-The script illustrates the temperature difference by comparing a cooler area with more green spaces and less concrete to a hotter area with high-rise, high-density public housing, limited greenery, and more pavements.
What is the role of the thermal camera in the video?
-The thermal camera is used to measure and compare the surface temperatures of different areas in Singapore, highlighting how much hotter certain spots can be compared to others.
What is the significance of the 'climate voucher' mentioned in the script?
-The climate voucher is a financial aid that helps people like Fion, a single mother, to purchase additional fans to cope with the heat, as they cannot afford air conditioning.
What are some of the solutions proposed by the experts to help Fion and her family cope with the heat?
-The proposed solutions include decluttering the home to promote wind flow, using cotton bed sheets for better breathability, introducing an air cooler, and making better use of space to allow for air circulation.
What is the purpose of the 'cool coating paint' mentioned in the script?
-The cool coating paint is designed to reflect the heat from the Sun, causing buildings to absorb less heat during the day and emit less heat at night, thus reducing the overall temperature of the area.
How does the video script address the broader issue of urban heat in Singapore?
-The script addresses the broader issue by showing the efforts of town planners and researchers to develop and implement solutions such as cool coating paint, urban planning tools, and redesigning spaces to maximize cooling.
What was the outcome of the changes made to Fion's home to help reduce the heat?
-The outcome was a significant reduction in temperature and an improvement in air circulation, making the home less stuffy and more comfortable for Fion and her family, although they still expressed a desire for an air conditioner.
Outlines
🌡️ Singapore's Urban Heat Island Effect
The script opens with a discussion on Singapore's sweltering weather, highlighting the absence of a breeze and the oppressive heat, which is exacerbated by the urban environment. The narrator meets a Singaporean climate scientist involved with the UN to explore how different areas of Singapore experience varying levels of heat. It's revealed that green spaces and low-density areas tend to be cooler due to less concrete and asphalt, and more grass and shade. The contrast is stark when comparing these areas with high-density, high-rise public housing zones that trap heat, leading to a significant temperature difference.
🏘️ Vulnerability to Heat in Singapore's Communities
This paragraph delves into the concept of heat vulnerability in Singapore, overlaying maps to show areas with high temperatures, high concentrations of elderly people, and socio-economic factors such as unemployment and low income. It's noted that the most vulnerable populations, including the elderly and low-income households, are often located in the hotter areas. The narrative then shifts to a single mother named Fion, who lives in a two-room rental flat in Jurong West with her children. The family struggles with the heat and cannot afford air conditioning, resorting to using multiple fans and ice bags to stay cool.
👨🔬 Experts' Intervention to Combat the Heat
A team of experts is introduced, who have been studying how households in Singapore cope with heat and are developing cost-effective solutions. They visit Fion's home to assess the situation, using equipment to measure wind flow and temperature distribution. The house is found to be hot and stuffy, with stagnant air and heat from electrical appliances contributing to the discomfort. The team identifies the need for decluttering, better air circulation, and the use of breathable materials like cotton. They also suggest an air cooler as an energy-efficient alternative to air conditioning.
🛠️ Implementing Solutions for a Cooler Home
A local digital platform called Good Hood is used to source items to help cool down Fion's home, such as cotton bed sheets and an air cooler. The team then proceeds to clean the house, rearrange furniture to improve ventilation, and install a wardrobe to promote air flow. They also replace synthetic bed sheets with cotton ones and add blinds for privacy and ventilation. The changes are aimed at making the home more comfortable without the need for expensive air conditioning.
🏙️ Broader Efforts to Mitigate Urban Heat in Singapore
The final paragraph discusses broader efforts to cool down Singapore as a whole. It includes a pilot project using cool coating paint on buildings to reflect heat and reduce temperature, as well as the use of a modeling tool to simulate environmental parameters for urban planning. The tool helps in designing neighborhoods with better wind flow and shade, which are crucial for reducing urban heat. The changes made to Fion's home are evaluated, showing a significant improvement in temperature and air circulation. While the family still desires an air conditioner, the interventions have made a considerable positive impact on their living conditions.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Heat Vulnerability
💡Green Spaces
💡Urban Heat Island Effect
💡Thermal Camera
💡Elderly Population
💡Low-Income Households
💡Air Cooler
💡Ventilation
💡Cool Coating Paint
💡Urban Planning
💡Sustainability
Highlights
Singapore experiences varying temperatures across different areas due to urban heat island effect.
Green spaces and low-density development contribute to cooler temperatures by providing more shade and less heat-trapping surfaces.
High-density urban areas with limited greenery and high traffic lead to higher temperatures due to trapped heat and waste heat from vehicles.
Heat vulnerability in Singapore is influenced by physical exposure, concentration of elderly population, and socio-economic factors.
Geylang Serai and Jurong West are identified as neighborhoods highly vulnerable to heat due to a combination of high temperatures and socio-economic challenges.
Families like Fion's struggle with the financial burden of cooling solutions amidst rising temperatures.
An all-star team of experts is introduced to help Fion's family find sustainable ways to beat the heat.
A misting system and wind velocity measurements are used to assess the lack of airflow in Fion's home.
Redesigning the space to promote wind flow and decluttering can significantly improve the cooling of a home.
Cotton bed sheets and air coolers are recommended as more sustainable and cost-effective alternatives to air conditioning.
A local digital platform called Good Hood helps match people in need with those looking to donate heat-related items.
The importance of proper furniture arrangement and electrical appliance placement for better heat management is highlighted.
Singapore's town planners are testing cool coating paint to reduce heat absorption in buildings.
A modeling tool is utilized for urban planning to simulate environmental parameters and their effects on development.
The transformation of Fion's home demonstrates significant improvements in temperature and airflow after implementing the suggested changes.
The success of the project in Fion's home suggests that similar measures can be adopted by other households in Singapore to combat urban heat.
Transcripts
[Music]
[Music]
w a lot of red here and that's all
heat so the weather the forecast is is
about 30 ° today but you know what it
feels twice as
hot weather is terrible know it's hot
but there's no Breeze that's a
problem can change one day I do have to
just what only swe canot because it's
too hot the baby also cannot well then
how just
uh the heat is hitting some of us harder
I'm going to show you how and why
[Music]
I'm meeting this
guy he's the first Singaporean elected
to the United Nations top climate
science body and he's getting me to take
him for a ride not a joy ride
though let's go to places in Singapore
that show how different parts of the
island experiences heat okay so
different parts of Singapore you say
some will be cooler some will be hotter
exactly how about we start by going to
one of the coolest places in Singapore
to live in
[Music]
and this is apparently where it
[Music]
is if you look around what do you see
there space everything a bit spread out
space space spread out there's less
concrete there's less asphalt more grass
large Gardens like what you see around
us all around us were surrounded by
Green
so if we can take a look the roof
obviously super hot yep but if you pan
over to where the green spacers are wow
you notice is significantly cooler yeah
it's almost a good 10° exactly
cooler generally in Singapore any place
that has much more green spaces much low
density development it will be
associated with cooler temperatures
there's more shade less uh propensity
trap heat so that helps to cool the enir
environment substantially by more than a
degree and a half de where would be the
areas with high heat let me show you
[Music]
okay hot isn't it yeah we've been here
what 2 3 minutes and I'm already I'm I'm
sweating so I'm curious I wonder how
much hotter this spot is compared to
where we just were at bukima let's find
out using the thermal camera let's
measure it the the ground now it's about
50 it's just like so much H we measured
the road just now it was about 40 a good
10° water uh much more Pavements here
compar to where we were just now you can
tell that it's also trapping in heat
during the
day you see the high rise high density
public housing in this sense you don't
have many trees you got limited grass so
you got less shade we just came from a
major road the road has a lot of cars
buses and trucks uh as it burns petrol
and Diesel it emits a lot of waste
heat all the St heat trapped within
urban areas is radiated out into the
atmosphere and it drives the
temperatures up for this area uh couple
of degrees Celsius warmer than let's say
B Tima
wonderful wonderful thank
you while we're cooling off shall I show
you all the points about looking into
heat vulnerability this is a map of
Singapore we were here this morning in
Bima then we went to jalam basa in the
afternoon and then now we're in gilang
first map I want to show you is what it
looks like right now in terms of the
heat that we're facing in Singapore oh
wow it looks a uniform orange and red
which are not very good colors a whole
hot Island orange is about 29 red is
about 30° C you can see that some parts
in the eastern part of Singapore
slightly hotter together with drong as
well so this gives you the physical
exposure now this tells you the
concentration of elderly population in
Singapore oh the darker the colors
generally the more elderly people live
in that region of Singapore so where we
were at uh in BK Tima lighter green not
that many but if you look at all these
dark green spots like Jong Clen mat
Estates right all htb or public housing
that in the 70s and ' 80s people tend to
stay there for the duration of their
lives the older you are the more at risk
you are to problems of high heat stress
or heat stroke this map so the darker
the colors that means there are more
people who are unemployed and more
people who have below average income
people with less access to uh resources
that's access to finances so if you
think twice about turning on the airod
you tend to be more at risk of being
exposed to heat and that's a problem in
these locations when we look at uh heat
vulnerability what we do is that we
overlay the maps I've showed you
together with the physical
exposure gang kalang Jong West three of
the neighborhoods in Singapore arguably
most vulnerable to heat with a
combination of not just higher
temperatures but also a proportionately
high number of low-income households and
elderly
residents ironically I guess the people
who are more vulnerable are the ones who
are more exposed to heat but the ones
who are less vulnerable are the ones who
are slightly better off have the
resources to keep cool but yet don't
need to because they're living in a
cooler environment
exactly I'm heading to one of the
neighborhoods gurong West where single
mom f Lim lives in her two room rental
flat hello hi hi F oh can I come in uh
yes okay come in pleas than oh okay so
how many of you are living here uh
there's four of us living here me and my
boys how have you been coping with the
weather I can already feel it now that
I'm in the room actually I purchased
another two more fans which is inside
the bedroom okay we're using the climate
voucher I have four fans one in the
living room and then actually three in
the bedro a fan for each of the boys
also there was only one fan last time
yeah then sometime my elders will Le to
be in the living room doing drawing then
he will say Mom can I have the fan
please going to share the fan fans then
we are said no we are sweating inside
the room so uh and top of that actually
we have a ice bag uh that my son is
currently using ice bag yes we'll put
this bag inside the freezer so when he
feel that it's too hot he would use this
to cool down some time my boys will
tends to be topless because of the hot
weather they was like Mom I don't want
to wear my shirt I'm
sweating yeah even in here talking to
you now I'm also sweating we're both
perspiring right yeah see I know so so
what else have you thought of doing I've
been trying to get a eon through my
social worker are you afraid that once
you have the Eon then your electricity
bill will become quite High getting in
the airon is only solely for the purpose
of hoping that my boys can rest properly
Fon and her boys are struggling with
record temperatures in Singapore and
they can't afford to install air
[Music]
conditioning so I'm bringing in an
Allstar team to see if we can help fion
and her family beat the heat in more
sustainable ways
[Music]
single mom fion and her three children
are struggling to cope with Rising
temperatures this room the living room
dining room kitchen yes study room is
the everything room yes the whole room I
can feel that it's warmer already the
heat coming from the frying pan yeah I
can see you sweating also right yes I'm
sweating already
[Music]
you know outdoor is cooler you can go
for a walk or even shopping center so
why not go there more often the nearest
is the Drone Point yeah but with their
sing I will have a headache bring them
out and how many times do you guys
shower every
day sometime four time four times
sometime when you sweat I tend to get
ity easily M this part my neck
that time my my the chest how long have
you had this uh few years okay but it's
worse when you are feeling hot yes then
what do you do sometime try my best not
to squat but it it's hot not to squat
okay and sometime I will apply the
cream my eldest and my youngest they
have ezema because of the
SW at night my boys will complain that
it's too hot for them to fall asleep
especially my elders due to the
itchiness he will wake up in the middle
of the
night boys time to
sleep
waai it's about 9:00 at night and one
would imagine that it would be cooler
right it should be but actually it feels
just as warm as it did in the day and
inside the apartment it's even more
stuffy I guess the the heat from the day
has been trapped inside to think that
actually one qu of all all households in
Singapore don't have an air conditioner
so they're having to live with that kind
of heat every night that can be quite
unbearable I want to help fion and her
boys beat the heat and there's no better
people to us than these
guys a crack team of experts that's
embarked on a three-year project to
study how Singaporean households cope
with heat and to develop new and cheaper
ways for them to do
[Music]
so hi F hi Ste see you again okay so
these guys they got a whole bunch of
equipment so if it's okay you let us get
to work and then after that we can see
what we can do ah yes okay come let's
get to it
[Music]
guys so we are planning to use the
equipment to really measure the
conditions of the house that will help
us redesign the space to make it more
cooling one way to VIs visualize wind
flow or whether the lack of wind right
is through a misting system like
this the mist just flowing around the
pill it's not going anywhere exactly
because the air is stagnant there's not
a lot of wind so I guess if there was
Breeze coming in from the kitchen would
it be something like that yeah and
because the house is so small and they
have so many things you know and you can
kind of see the clut around the house as
well that is blocking the wind flow I
see so we have demystified that
situation
good job
there the wind velocity the wind speed
as you can see is zero the bedroom seems
to be the warmest spot in the apartment
you can definitely feel The Stang air
essentially is hot air recirculating
again and again within the room the fact
that the clothes are immediately behind
the fan they reduce the wind coming out
from the fan as
well look at the temperature release by
they reach right yeah compared to the
rest of the surrounding and is almost up
to 6 7° difference because everything
around it is a different color but the
Middle where the fridge is is bright red
essentially for every electrical
Appliance they release heat the wind can
actually carry the heat around the house
heating up the house as well so actually
the fridge isn't really in the best spot
here
yeah the team's initial assessment a hot
and stuffy house in need of wind flow
often the case with small Flats
so it's been about a week since the team
visited F's house and I'm here to find
out what plans they cooked up for
[Music]
her what are some of the solutions we
have so I think first and foremost they
have to declutter the homes uh we see a
lot of things stored at different parts
of the home perhaps a wardrobe could be
installed also not only tidy up the
place uh but to promote um wind flow the
family is using bed sheets which are
made of synthetic material which is not
that cooling so there are other type of
maila they can use these are cotton so
this is are more breathable and uh
cooling there is something else that we
can introduce and that is possibly the
air cooler and with this uh solution you
can easily bring the temperatures down
at least 2 to 3° C I see so it's like a
fan but it blows cooler air yes because
it's the the water evaporation right yes
and it consumes only maybe about a tenth
of a typical Aon energy
consumption so having met with the
researchers my team and I now know what
items we need to help Fon and the boys
better cope with the heat the question
is where are we going to find what we
need without having to break the bank
[Music]
my team and I found a local digital
platform to help us source for the items
we need to help cool down fiance's home
good Hood helps match people looking for
specific items with those looking to
give them away
lately of course we've been experiencing
some really hot weather have you found
an increase in the number of heat
related items that people are asking for
yeah he he read items definitely have
increased but system yeah clo yeahoo dry
or dry fit clothes to to stay cool
during the the heat okay how frequently
are you getting these requests for these
items yeah so in the last month we've
had about three or four of such requests
and we think it's going to continue in
increasing because the weather is quite
hot these days yeah so who are the
people that are asking for these items
the blue and orange just verified blue
generally meaning the bottom 10% by
household income orange is the bottom
20% most of the requesters will will be
um living in rental Flats but
essentially it is pretty much the the
lower economic group that is needing
more of these items right
[Music]
so these are the items that donor has
given so this is a coton bit sheet air
cooler and affordable
[Music]
mattress Fon and the boys will be out of
the house for the rest of the day which
means it's time to get started first
things first giving the house a good
clean and moving stuff out of the way so
that the wind can flow
[Music]
freely obviously he hasn't been watching
TV for well yeah how how they going to
watch Talking
[Music]
plane next moving the heat sources and
hotpots that's your electrical
appliances further away from the
bedroom take a look we're not entirely
done yet but it's about what I would say
80% there uh and you can see it's a big
difference already just moving the
furniture around giving it a clean and
allow for better ventilation and wind
circulation and I can literally feel the
wind woo what a
difference next up the wardrobe they are
in the midst of fixing it up we'll put
the clothes in the cupboard and be able
to make the room a little bit more Airy
as well hopefully once we're done
they'll be able to to have a good
night's
rest removing the fans NES to the
windows so they can better draw in and
circulate fresh
air air cooler in the
bedroom a change of bed sheets from
synthetic ones to cotton sheets which
are more breathable and
cooler and a new foldable mattress again
to open up the area for more air
circulation
we're also adding these blinds so that
the family can still have their privacy
but now with a side of
ventilation after a good 10
[Music]
hours we'll check back with Fiona and
the boys in a week to see how much of a
difference these fixes have really made
but you know what Beyond just one
household I wonder what's being done to
cool down Singapore as a
whole I'm spending my day with
Singapore's Town planners starting in
another one of the country's hotter
areas we are doing a pilot right here in
tanes to test out the effectiveness of a
cool coating pain cool coating pain what
is that it's a type of pain that will
reflect the heat from the Sun so the
building will absorb less heat during
the day and emits less Heat at
night on a sunny day blocks painted with
these pains could be up to 2° cooler
compared to those painted with regular
coats is this going to be done for all
hdb blocks whenever they are repainted
oh no we are doing a pilot for 130
blocks we have painted about 60 blocks
we are scheduled to end this pilot by
end of 2024 okay so basically if this
pilot is successful eventually all hdb
when they are repainted could have this
Co paint being used
[Music]
correct there's more for future towns
there's this it's a modeling tool and
this tool actually enable all planners
Architects and Engineers to simulate the
various environmental parameters and
their combined effect on
development this is the design that we
have uh developed for Northshore
district and we try to design the
buildings uh in certain Arrangement that
helps the wind to penetrate easily into
the whole dist yeah so with all of this
it means you can actually plan almost
everything before you actually build the
structure itself before we do the actual
uh constructions we can have this trial
and error in the virtual
world this is the future of urban
planning for Singapore from the way the
blocks were built down to the number of
trees and where the shade hits the
playground these were designed with the
modeling tool to maximize cooling down
this
neighborhood it's been two weeks since
we tried to help single mom fion and her
family beat the heat hello and I brought
the whole gang back with me and I'm back
with the team for one final
[Music]
visit yeah now the videoing is around
29.8 as compared to the previous time
was was around 32° C we are getting a
good we of about5 m/ second of wind
previously there was no wind at all it
was Zero m per second so this is a very
very good
Improvement which change do you think
has been the best for you guys I think
the bedroom if feel a lot less stuffy
actually my boys they can sleep better
at night my boys love
the what about you Austin what do you
like best the blinds we call the time
when got too much seat then we had to
put the curtain upwards then with the
blinds there we got more privacy oh but
also you can still get some air coming
in right yes do you still feel like you
need an airor oh definitely with an
airor will be
better so that know the boys can have a
better night sleep yeah yeah yeah sure
fair enough
[Music]
so I want to ask you guys uh yeah what
do you think would you consider what
we've done here a success story yeah
definitely I think it's a huge uh
success but she still wants an icon
right we asked her and she said I still
on an airon yeah so what do you think
about that wow it's nowhere near what an
airon room would be it's significantly
cooler than what the conditions were
before so in the context of rising Urban
heat in Singapore I think what we have
done in Fan's home is something that
every household in Singapore is able to
adopt understanding how to increase the
ventilation where to place your
Furnitures where to uh relocate certain
appliances basic things like opening the
windows uh these are things that we can
do on the daily basis
[Music]
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