How #Paris's #SeineRiver keeps the #Louvre cool in summer

Delphine PAYSANT
Wed, June 18, 2025

"As Paris braces for a #heatwave this weekend, a little-known network of underground pipes will be cooling the Louvre museum and other storied landmarks using water from the Seine river.

"Since 1991, the river water has been cooling more than 800 buildings via a humble but hard-working system that is still relatively under-utilised worldwide.

"Paris boasts the largest such urban cooling network in Europe: 110 kilometres (68 miles) of subterranean pipes criss-crossing the City of Light, reducing its need for energy-guzzling air conditioning.

" 'It's like 'Batman'!' exclaimed a passer-by in the chic and touristy eighth arrondissement or district of Paris, as a manhole cover was removed to reveal a spiral staircase to the cooling network below.

"The technology is not new: the headquarters of the United Nations in New York has been using water from the East River for cooling since the 1950s.

"But much planning and construction is necessary and as such, these efficient and #sustainable cooling systems remain relatively rare.

"But in Paris, the network has grown considerably in recent years to confront more intense and frequent #heatwaves, with the first of the summer forecast this coming weekend.

"The process works much the same as a district heating network, but in reverse: heat is transferred from the air to chilled water pumped via pipes to buildings around the city.

"But unlike conventional #AirConditioning, it does not blast hot air into the streets, according to Fraicheur de Paris, which manages the Seine cooling network and others in #Barcelona, #Singapore and #Dubai.

"The company, co-owned by the French energy utility Engie, says it also offers significant savings in electricity consumption, chemical use and emissions of planet-warming carbon dioxide.

"Heatwaves could push summer temperatures to 50 degrees Celsius (122 Fahrenheit) by 2050 in Paris, said Raphaelle Nayral, secretary general of Fraicheur de Paris.

"The city needs a more sustainable solution than air conditioning units with their associated heat and energy burden, she added."

Source:
https://www.yahoo.com/news/pariss-seine-river-keeps-louvre-102539210.html

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[Thread] #NOVA Releases Series of Short Films Produced by #IndigenousFilmmakers

by Barbara Ayotte
November 25, 2024

"Honoring Native American Heritage Month, GBH, Vision Maker Media, and NOVA have released a collection of six short documentaries, Legacy of the Land, covering climate change in Native American communities. The first of its kind, the collection includes stories each produced by an Indigenous filmmaker making the series as dynamic and distinct as Native American communities themselves. From Alaska to Arizona, audiences witness the knowledge, tradition, and innovation of people living on the front lines of our changing climate. This series is a companion to NOVA’s film, Sea Change: The Gulf of Maine, which was released in July.

"'This series shines a well-deserved spotlight on Native American climate solutions that are based on Indigenous knowledge and science. The stories provide a rare insight from the perspective of Indigenous filmmakers who have given us privileged access to their communities,' said Laurie Donnelly, GBH Executive Producer."

https://www.wgbh.org/foundation/highlights/2024-11-25/nova-releases-series-of-short-films-produced-by-indigenous-filmmakers

So, I may be a "doomsayer" (I consider myself a realist), but I'm always trying to see if there's a solution to getting us out of the mess we're in. Perhaps I would describe myself as an optimistic pessimist. Anyhow, based on my recent research, here are some of the solutions I think we (humanity) should pursue collectively...

1. Plug up the #MethaneLeaks! Seriously! That's a big part of the problem!

2. Make the price of #meat expensive! I remember when having meat was considered a special occasion -- not a daily occurrence.

3. Make things out of #RomanConcrete. Now that we've cracked the recipe, there's no excuse not to use it! Especially with rising sea levels (Roman concrete holds up better when exposed to water).

4. Manufacture stuff that lasts! No more #PlannedObsolescence -- items that can't be upgraded and/or repaired by a skilled user or a local repair shop!

5. Grow food locally! Turn empty #office spaces into #IndoorUrbanFarms (and #housing).

6. Utilize new (and ancient) technologies to the max! #SolarPrisms, reflective white paint, building new structures with #skywells, #geothermal and other ways to cool/heat spaces without using #FossilFuels!

That's just a few off the top of my head. I think a lot of the solutions are right in front of us -- but #greed and #Oligarchy are keeping them from being implemented!