Cooling It is at the heart of various technological advances, challenges in critical infrastructure, and increasingly discussed climate phenomena. From developments in materials for temperature control in buildings, to incidents testing hospital air conditioning, to research into strange thermal behaviors in the oceans, the term is gaining relevance and raising new questions about our future and well-being.
In recent times, heat waves and the need for sustainable solutions To combat these challenges, they have driven the search for alternatives to traditional air conditioning. In both the fields of innovation and facility management, cooling is becoming the central theme of news stories affecting technology, health, and the environment.
A bioplastic material that cools buildings without electricity
A group of scientists from China and Australia has recently developed A biodegradable film capable of reducing the temperature of buildings during the day and night without resorting to electricity. According to a study published in Cell Reports Physical Science, this coating can reduce surface temperature by up to 9,2°C under direct sunlight, with daily averages of around -5°C relative to the surrounding environment and high cooling power.
The secret lies in passive radiative cooling, a phenomenon that allows this material to reflect almost all solar radiation and efficiently emit heat to the outside. Made with polylactic acid (PLA), derived from plant sources and completely biodegradable, the film has a porous structure which gives it very low thermal conductivity and high solar reflectance.
During testing, the coating demonstrated high resistance after being subjected to extreme conditions of humidity, acid, and ultraviolet radiation. Even after prolonged exposure, it remained functional below room temperature due to its high crystallinity and chemical stability.
The simple, large-scale production method opens the door to commercial use and potential application in urban rooftops, vehicles, agriculture, electronics or even medicine, such as special dressings for wounds.
Incidents with hospital cooling equipment during heat waves
El Vázquez Díaz Hospital in Huelva The hospital has experienced a series of cooling system failures, leaving patients, family members, and employees without air conditioning for nearly 48 hours during a heat wave, with temperatures approaching 40°C. The problems are not new; according to staff and unions, these equipment failures have been occurring for years and particularly affect sensitive areas such as wards for chronically ill patients and those with complex pathologies.
The most recent breakdown forced the center to rent temporary cooling equipment while the main facility was being repaired. Both the hospital and unions have pointed out the urgency of renewing the old air conditioning systems, even proposing a county plan to avoid similar situations in other health centers and hospitals, especially given the increase in extreme weather events.
The management of the center emphasizes that the management of the incident has been a priority, and that measures have already been adopted to guarantee the restoration of thermal comfort of patients and workers, although concern persists about the recurrence of these failures in the summer.
The mysterious cooling of the North Atlantic and its climate impact
In the environmental field, a recent study has shed new light on the North Atlantic thermal anomaly, known as the 'cold spot', a region that is cooling while much of the planet is experiencing rising temperatures. Researchers have found that this phenomenon is due to both changes in ocean circulation (AMOC) and the reaction of the atmosphere.
The weakening of AMOC, caused in part by melting ice and the arrival of freshwater that alters ocean salinity, slows energy exchange with warmer latitudes. Furthermore, the atmosphere responds over the cold zone by becoming drier, multiplying the cooling effect in a feedback loop that has been little considered until now.
This combination of oceanographic and atmospheric factors not only explains the persistence of low temperatures in the area, but also has implications for the European and global climate. Changes in water evaporation and atmospheric vapor influence the Earth's heat balance and can affect ecosystems, rainfall patterns, and the behavior of important currents such as the jet stream.
These findings challenge current climate models and highlight the complexity of interactions between the ocean, atmosphere, and regional temperatures, in a context of accelerated climate change in which cooling phenomena are also gaining prominence.
