It's really hot in the Middle Eastern nation of Qatar. On summer nights, temperatures rarely fall under 32 degrees Celsius (90 degrees Fahrenheit), and during the day they can rise upwards of 48 degrees Celsius (120 degrees Fahrenheit).
In response, Qatar has done something that sounds absurd: it has started to air condition its outdoor spaces - a "solution" that, ultimately, could exacerbate the sweltering heat.
A story by The Washington Post dives deep into Qatar's temperature woes, pointing out how the extreme heat has now put the health of Qatar's residents at risk. In response, it's installed air conditioning units in its open-air sports stadiums, malls, and markets.
(The video originally embedded here is no longer available on YouTube.)
The air conditioners may work to temporarily cool Qatar's residents, but they are an environmental catch-22: the nation uses fossil fuels in order to generate the electricity needed to run the devices.
Facing unbearable heat, Qatar is air-conditioning the outdoors. The rising temperatures signal a larger problem: Climate change: https://t.co/5wLMnWpeKU pic.twitter.com/FJXpzGvdCl
— Post Graphics (@PostGraphics) October 17, 2019
These fossil fuels, in turn, produce carbon emissions, that contribute to the global warming that is cooking its public spaces.
@washingtonpost Quatar needs the equivalent of 9 earths to support the lifestyle of those living there. In contrast India inspite of its size and population needs half an earth.
— Sridevi Rao Ph.D (@sitahyderabadi) October 18, 2019
Although signatories of the Paris Agreement agreed to try to avoid letting temperatures rise to two degrees Celsius (3.6 Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial levels, a reported regional temperature increase is not equivalent to crossing a global-average threshold; Qatar's heat nevertheless illustrates risks relevant to our own future.
Insanity. Unsustainable. How will countries without wealth/resources adapt?
— Diane Husic (@HusicDiane) October 18, 2019
Comfort at one location and climate effects are different questions
The Qatar example illustrates two scales that should be assessed separately. An installation may make a seating area more comfortable while still requiring electricity and equipment with an environmental footprint. A photograph of cool air reaching spectators cannot establish the total energy cost, just as high electricity use alone does not describe who benefits from relief. A meaningful evaluation would compare the cooled area, hours of operation, number of users and power supply. Those details determine what service the system actually provides. UNEP’s Global Cooling Watch 2023.
Cooling policy includes more than adding machines
UNEP’s Global Cooling Watch 2023 identifies three complementary routes: passive cooling, better equipment efficiency and a faster transition away from climate-warming refrigerants. This framework helps turn the outdoor-air-conditioning story into practical questions about design. Could the setting reduce its cooling demand before equipment is installed? How much electricity is needed for the remaining demand, and what refrigerant is used? The report treats access to cooling and lower emissions as goals to pursue together. Qatar’s 2019 installations remain a useful case study, but their existence does not demonstrate that mechanical cooling can counteract regional climate change.
Cooling the 2022 World Cup
Outdoor cooling became most visible at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, which was moved to November and December because of Qatar’s summer heat, when highs can reach 50°C. Seven of the eight stadiums were air-conditioned with a system developed over 13 years by Saud Abdulaziz Abdul Ghani, an engineering professor at Qatar University known as “Dr Cool”. Jets blow cool air at pitchside and under the seats to form a two-metre-high bubble over the pitch and stands, kept at about 21°C; warm air is drawn back, cleaned with 7°C water and recirculated. The power comes from a large solar farm in the desert outside Doha, and the organisers said the system was 40 per cent more “sustainable” than existing techniques. Russell Seymour, chief executive of the British Association for Sustainable Sport, questioned the message that air-conditioning open spaces sends at a time when people are asked to save energy.
Sources: Kuwait Times (AFP), 21 May 2022: Qatar’s ‘Dr Cool’ keeps stadiums chilly
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