What it takes to move heat action plans from advisories to mandates

Large commercial complexes, textile shops, and jewellery showrooms blast cold air onto the high street in T. Nagar, Chennai, where the average summer temperature is over 35 °C.

Shoppers dart from one air-conditioned building to another. But these ACs also cause an urban heat-island effect, making it one of the top 20 most vulnerable spots exhibiting significantly higher temperatures than other areas in Chennai, according to Deena Hari Krishna, project manager, Auroville Consulting, a U.N.-backed centre advising on policies and sustainable practices.

To mitigate heat, buildings here may require passive cooling and ventilation using mechanical fans, which are designed to suck out hot air; operational advisories to set AC temperatures between 24 °C and 26 °C; and introducing energy efficient cooling systems. However, mitigating heat in T. Nagar may look completely different from other localities, he said.