A climate resilience day was held with the young people of the Espai Les Planes in L’Hospitalet de Llobregat
This Thursday, July 18, the inauguration of the shade structure installed at the Cruyff Camp Jordi Alba in l’Hospitalet de Llobregat took place as part of the European project Cooltorise . This event brought together around twenty teenagers from Esplai Les Planes, some of whom had previously participated in the creative process of transforming the space to tackle climate change . The young people between 12 and 17 years old enjoyed a day full of educational activities on climate resilience and preventing the effects of heat aimed at fostering curiosity and learning among the participants.
The process of transforming the space is part of one of the interventions in public space implemented with the Cooltorise project, funded by the European Union under the Horizon 2020 program , which has the participation of the Ecoserveis Cultura Energètica Association and the Benestar i Desenvolupament Association , and which in the case of the transformation of the Cruyff Camp Jordi Alba has had the support of the Hospitalet de Llobregat City Council .
The day began with a welcome from the councilor of district IV-V, David Torres, and the coordinator of Comprehensive Plans, Lluís Esteve . The latter explained the motivation and objectives that led the City Council to carry out the intervention carried out in this space.
Fun activities to learn how to mitigate the heat
Through various activities, the teenagers have been able to investigate concepts such as climate resilience, the greenhouse effect and the impact of high temperatures on health, and, especially, the importance of the shade structure installed to mitigate these effects, an aspect that the young people have been able to experience firsthand.
The young people have been able to experiment with the use of measuring instruments such as temperature guns, thermometers, hygrometers and luxmeters to measure temperature, humidity and light at different points in the space. These measurements have allowed them to understand how the shade structure helps reduce the health risk derived from heat and solar radiation.
It is worth highlighting the activities aimed at understanding the concept of albedo , that is, how light interacts with the color of surfaces and how this influences the heat absorbed by these surfaces. The use of light surfaces in public spaces and in clothing are very useful measures to maximize the reflection of sunlight and prevent it from being absorbed in the form of heat. The young people have shown a lot of interest in this phenomenon and have been able to verify its effects through various tests: they have measured the temperature differences between white and black fabrics exposed to the sun, and they have verified how white balloons do not explode when exposed to the concentrated light of a magnifying glass while black balloons do. Thus, they have understood how the use of different colors and surfaces can contribute to warming or cooling the environment .
The day concluded with a reflection on solutions to reduce the effects of heat and the importance of collaborating in the creation of spaces that are more resilient to climate change .
In short, the day was a complete success, with the teenagers enjoying a morning full of discoveries and practical learning that consolidated the use and meaning of the participatory process at the Cruyff Camp Jordi Alba .
