Les altes temperatures i els episodis de calor intensa s’han fet notar amb força aquest any. Davant d’un escenari climàtic en què la calor extrema és un risc cada vegada més present, adaptar les ciutats, els habitatges i els nostres hàbits ja no és una qüestió de futur: és una necessitat del present.
For this reason, at Ecoserveis we have joined the challenge ‘Let’s protect ourselves from the heat’ , promoted within the framework of Barcelona + Sustainable. A collective initiative that seeks to advance in protecting people from high temperatures and strengthen the city’s capacity to adapt to a changing climate.
Heat doesn’t affect everyone the same way
When we talk about heat, we talk about temperatures and also about housing, health, energy, public space and inequalities.
The ability to protect oneself from high temperatures depends on many factors: the conditions of the home, the possibility of maintaining it at an adequate temperature, access to cool spaces, the economic situation or personal and health conditions. Therefore, in the face of extreme heat, it is necessary to put people at the center and pay special attention to the most vulnerable situations.
At Ecoserveis, we have been working for years to bring energy closer to society and promote a fair and sustainable energy model. We understand that adapting to climate change must also incorporate this social perspective: protecting ourselves from the heat implies ensuring that all people can live in conditions of comfort and safety, without the response necessarily being an increase in energy consumption that not everyone can afford.
Adapting without leaving anyone behind
Faced with the increase in episodes of intense heat, we need diverse and complementary responses. Improving the thermal behavior of buildings, promoting passive cooling solutions, adapting public spaces, expanding access to climate comfort spaces and providing useful information and tools to citizens are some of the measures that can contribute to reducing the risks associated with heat.
We also need to advance in an energy culture that helps us better understand how we use energy and how we can adapt to new climate conditions in a fair and sustainable way.
The response to heat cannot fall solely on individual decisions. It requires public policies, urban transformations, better prepared housing and coordinated action between administrations, entities, communities and citizens.
A new collective commitment
The adherence to ‘Protect ourselves from the heat’ adds to Ecoserveis’ participation in the ‘Decarbonize ourselves’ challenge, also from Barcelona + Sustainable.
Both challenges are closely related. On the one hand, we need to reduce emissions and move towards a decarbonized energy model to act on the causes of climate change. On the other, we need to prepare to face impacts that are already present, such as episodes of extreme heat.
With this new membership, Ecoserveis reaffirms our commitment to a fair, sustainable and people-centered energy transition. This involves reducing emissions, but also building communities and cities that are better prepared to face the effects of climate change.
