As reported by the Copernicus Climate Change Service, the European Union’s Earth Programme, the last eight years have been the hottest ever recorded on Earth.
Compared to the period 1991-2020, the global temperature is now 0.3°C higher; whereas, compared to the period 1850-1900, the temperature is now even almost 1.2°C higher. Also in polar regions such as the Arctic and Antarctic Peninsula, the average temperature recorded in the last years is more than 2°C above the average recorded between 1991 and 2020. Additionally, summer 2022 recorded the three hottest summer months ever experienced.
This acute rise in temperatures is a global call to action against the devastating effects of climate change. Global warming affects each person on the Earth, but the most vulnerable people – such as those living in the global south as well as those living with a low income or no income – are the ones most impacted by it. Despite clear evidence showing that climate change is expected to yield a growing number of extreme climates, little attention is given to summer energy poverty, which is the difficulty or impossibility experienced by vulnerable householders in keeping their homes comfortably cool in summer.
Given the challenging scenario in which we live, the objective of the Cooltorise project, which is to help vulnerable householders in tackling summer energy poverty, becomes even more relevant. This year, the Cooltorise consortium is extremely motivated to work even harder to support vulnerable householders in the fight against heat waves and rising temperatures while also spreading awareness of the emergency related to summer energy poverty.
