Commentary: How do we escape the air-conditioning trap?

Last year, a new Go 25 Movement was launched by the Singapore Green Building Council and the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment to urge home, business and building owners to turn up their thermostats.

One can only imagine how much more it will take to convince building owners to incorporate passive cooling designs or innovative cooling systems in their buildings. We will also need the buy-in of stakeholders, such as tenants and residents, who choose to embrace new technologies because they believe in sustainability.

It will not be easy. Novel technologies will also come with their own teething issues, as we have seen in Tengah where some residents complained of problems including condensation and leaks. These have been overcome and user feedback is now generally positive.

To expect people to give up air-conditioning in a warming world is unrealistic. This means that we must find better ways to cool, such that turning on the air-conditioning does not warm the planet further.

Khoo Teng Chye is a Practice Professor with the College of Design and Engineering at the National University of Singapore (NUS) and Senior Advisor of NUS Cities. He was formerly Chief Executive Officer and Chief Planner of the Urban Redevelopment Authority.