 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 by Staff Writers Miami (AFP) Nov 6, 2017
With sheet metal roofs, concrete floors, poor ventilation and spotty electricity, crowded urban slums in Africa can expect to get even hotter and deadlier due to global warming, US researchers said Monday. Scientists at Johns Hopkins University analyzed three informal settlements in Nairobi, including the largest, Kibera, home to nearly a million people. Along the settlements' narrow alleyways, mud-walled homes and metal roofs, they found stifling temperatures, "between five and nearly 10 degrees Fahrenheit (2.7-5.5 C) higher than those reported at Nairobi's official weather station less than half a mile away," said the study in the journal PLOS ONE. The study was conducted by 11 researchers over the course of 80 days from late 2015 to early 2016, one of Nairobi's hottest summers since the 1970s. Researchers posted 50 thermometers on trees and wooden posts, most in shaded areas. At the Kenya Meteorological Department headquarters, in a grassy, wooded area, average daytime temperature was 78 Fahrenheit (25 C). In the slums, the average was nearly 82 in Kibera, 85 in Mathare, and 87 in Mukuru. The higher temperatures found in the study are "certainly consistent with excess deaths," said lead author Anna Scott, a climate scientist in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at Johns Hopkins. However, researchers were unable to quantify how many people are likely to die from heat waves in these urban areas, since many variables are at play. Up to 60 percent of Nairobi's residents live in these informal settlements.
Morocco architect fights concrete with traditionTiznit, Morocco (AFP) Nov 3, 2017 An unexpected gust of cool air greets visitors to the new archives centre in Tiznit in the mountains of southern Morocco, even without air-conditioning despite extreme heat outside its walls. That is thanks to the ancestral building methods used by Salima Naji, a French-educated Moroccan architect who specialises in construction that blends in with the environment and local traditions. R ... read more Related Links Africa News - Resources, Health, Food
|
|||||||||||||
|
|
| The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us. |
del.icio.us
Digg
Reddit
Google
