Australia’s first mobile cooling hub is ready for searing heat this summer – and people who are homeless helped design it

Sun, 14 Jan 2024 05:49:12 +1100

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

Andrew Pam
<https://theconversation.com/australias-first-mobile-cooling-hub-is-ready-for-searing-heat-this-summer-and-people-who-are-homeless-helped-design-it-218829>

"Heatwaves are a major public health hazard. Socially disadvantaged people are
especially exposed to extreme heat and other impacts of climate change. Many
people experiencing homelessness – more than 120,000 on any given day in
Australia – are exposed to extreme temperatures sleeping on the street, in cars
or tents, or in overcrowded and substandard housing.

Researchers are working with people experiencing homelessness, St Vincent’s
Hospital and the City of Sydney to design, deliver and evaluate a mobile
“cooling hub” this summer. The Bureau of Meteorology is predicting an unusually
hot summer. The pilot project in Surry Hills will use low-cost strategies,
including misting fans, to keep 54 people at a time cool on the hottest of
days.

We’ll use the HeatWatch app, developed by the University of Sydney, to know
when to set up the cooling hub. It’s the first time the app, as a preparedness
tool, and a mobile hub like this have been deployed in Australia. Renewable
energy will power the hub, so this response isn’t itself contributing to
climate change."

Cheers,
       *** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net               Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/                 Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/            Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/               Manager, Serious Cybernetics

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