On the Effect of Global Warming and the

6 On the Effect of Global Warming and the

UAE Built Environment

Hassan Radhi

Faculty of Engineering,

UAE

1. Introduction

Climate changes have already been noted all over the world. The reasons for these changes are complex and there are disagreements in the scientific community about the causes. Some scientists believe that changes are part of natural variability while others point to human activity as the cause of increasing atmospheric concentrations of green house gases (GHGs) and the key driver of climate changes. Many scientific studies come to the conclusion that the expenditure of non-renewable energy has a direct impact on the climate, with potentially devastating results. This expenditure is said to be one of the main factors affecting the climate. It causes three major problems, namely air pollution, acid rain and greenhouse effects. The use of non-renewable energy has increased the carbon concentration in the atmosphere and has also increased the earth’s temperature, which is known as ‘‘Global Warming’’. The Intergovernmental Panel of Climate Change [1] stated that there would be a steady increase in the ambient temperature during the end of the 21st century due to the large growth in carbon emissions. Much of this growth has come from energy generation, transport, industry and, above all, from building operation.

The energy generation represents the largest economic sector in the Gulf region. During the past few decades, the Gulf Council Corporation (GCC) countries, major oil producers, have witnessed an unprecedented economic and social transformation. Oil proceeds have been used to modernise infrastructure, create employment and improve social indicators. Due to the expenditure of oil, the GCC countries have fallen in the top countries of CO2 emissions. On a global scale, all GCC countries fall in the top 25 countries of carbon dioxide emissions per capita, with UAE leading [2]. In addition, current reports on environmental policy in the GCC are very critical and have given them the image of being the worst environmental polluters worldwide, with UAE and Qatar at top. According to the Global Footprint Network [3], the UAE possesses the highest Ecological Footprint in the world. This issue in addition to the increase in energy demand have come to the agenda of the UAE government.

2. UAE agenda

Two important issues have become a hot topic in the UAE. Firstly, the current energy situation that shows a trend of growing demand. In one decade (1997-2007), the primary energy of this region increased by 55.8% with 15.3% change between 2007 and 2008. [4].

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96 Secondly, the increase of CO 2 emissions. The statistics of the UAE show that the increase in

CO 2 emissions is within the range of 33% and 35% between 1997 and 2006 [5]. The

Environment Agency of Abu Dhabi stated that the UAE activities in pursuing

developments, such as fossil fuel combustion, industrial processing, land-use change and

waste management have caused the release of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions into the

atmosphere. Consequently, temperatures in the UAE regions could significantly increase.

This increase will influence the economy, built environment and above all the micro-climate

of the UAE.

2.1 Current and future climate

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is a federation of seven Emirates located in the Gulf region

(see Figure 1). It spans approximately 83,600 km 2 and can be divided into 3 major ecological

areas: coastal areas, mountainous areas and desert areas. Over four-fifths of the UAE is

classified as desert, especially in the western parts of the country. The general characteristics

of the UAE’s climate resemble those of arid and semi-arid zones. Figure 2 shows a brief

analysis of climatic elements of the UAE provided by the Directorate of Meteorology of Abu

Dhabi. The analysis shows two main seasons characterise the UAE’s climate. Winter lasts

from November through March, a period when temperatures seldom drop below 6 °C.

Summers are very dry with temperatures rising to about 48 °C in coastal cities – with

accompanying humidity levels reaching as high as 90%. In the southern arid regions such as

Al-ain city, temperatures can reach to 50 °C. The UAE is blessed with a high solar radiation

level. The highest monthly averages of total and direct radiation are 613 W/m 2 and 546

W/m 2 in May and October respectively, while the highest monthly average of diffuse

radiation is 273 W/m 2 in July. Wind from a north-west direction throughout the year is the

characteristic of the UAE. The wind speed average shows slight variation, being generally

low from November to January with a monthly average of 3.5 m/s, while from February to

October it is well above 4.2 m/s, reaching a monthly average of 4.6 m/s in May.

Hot arid regions, such as the UAE, are sensitive to climate changes and the effects they

produce. The Environment Agency of Abu Dhabi and the Ministry of Energy [6] studied

different scenarios of climate changes and stated that temperatures in the UAE regions could

increase while precipitation levels could significantly decline by the end of the 21st century.

This scenario was simulated and the output was generated at the regional level and then

scaled to eight cities within the UAE including Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Al-Ain, Ras al-

Khaymah, Khawr Fakkan, Umm al-Qaywayn, and Ajman. The result shows that the annual

average temperatures in 2050 are projected to be between about 1.6 °C and 2.9 °C warmer than

they were over the period 1961–1990 and between 2.3 °C and 5.9 °C warmer by 2100. It is clear

that the climate of the UAE is tending to get warmer. This tendency is expected to impact the

built environment, energy use in buildings and its associated CO 2 emissions.

2.2 Energy consumption and CO 2 emissions

The discovery of oil in 1958 in Abu Dhabi and 1966 in Dubai transformed the economy

dramatically, enabling the country to move away from a subsistence economy toward a

modern, industrial base. In some respects, however, it seems, the energy plans of the UAE is

following the example of developed nations whose economic growth occurred through the

use of technologies and expenditure of fossil fuels and electricity. The rapid and increasing

economic expenditure with huge architectural projects and population growth rates and a

On the Effect of Global Warming and the UAE Built Environment 97 fairly low energy cost are increasing the UAE’s energy consumption, making it one of the highest energy consumers per capita in the world [7]. Generally, energy in the UAE is consumed in five broad sectors defined by four end-uses, including residential, commercial, industrial and agriculture sectors. If electricity generation is included, the five sectors account for all energy consumption in the economy of the UAE.

On an international level, the consumption of energy for the building sector is a significant factor in the economy of many countries. Recent studies show such trends in different parts of the world. In the United States, for example, 41% of the total national energy production and nearly 70% of electricity production is used in buildings, as well as 28% in transportation, which is at least partly influenced by urban design [8]. In the United Kingdom, the building sector consumes about 50% of all the country’s energy [9]. In Brazil, 48% of the national energy is consumed in buildings [10], while in China, building sector currently accounts for 23% of the country total energy use [11]. The same situation can be seen in the UAE. Figure 3 shows the energy consumption per sector in Al-Ain and Dubai [12-13]. Clearly, buildings, particularly those in the residential sector, have the largest impact on this growth, as 30% and 46% of the total energy in Al-ain and Dubai is consumed in this sector. Unlike many developed nations, however, the UAE always reacted to its growth in energy consumption by adding new generation capacity. Whereas, the developed countries are focusing on demand-side-policies to reduce the energy consumption as can be seen in Japan, which is considered as the most energy efficiency economy in the world due to innovative policy instruments such as the top runner approach [14].

As the fraction of the total energy increases, the production of CO2 emitted becomes greater. Figure 4 shows the increase in CO2 emissions relative to the use of energy. It is important to note that the production and consumption of energy are the dominant source of GHG emissions in the UAE. The UAE statistic data show that about 4% of the CO2 production is caused by the direct emissions of buildings, 43% by electricity generation and 45% by manufacturing and construction [15]. The remaining is caused by other resources.

3. Global warming and the UAE buildings

The increasing emission of CO2 and its contribution to global warming has become a growing concern for building industry and regulation bodies in the UAE. There are two reasons: firstly, CO2 is the main by-product of the generation from fossil fuels of energy. As buildings are one of the largest consumers of energy then they are also the largest contributor to the increase in the atmospheric CO2 and hence global warming and climate change. Secondly, building operation is likely to be especially affected by global warming. Clearly, by using none renewable fossil fuels, buildings contribute to the CO2 emissions leading to warming the globe. In turns, global warming influences the energy consumption of buildings leading to increase the production of CO2 emissions.

To evaluate the interaction between buildings and global warming, the following methodology was used. Statistically-based weather data files were generated in order to reflect the increases in air-temperatures. Each file represented a weather input of a sophisticated simulation program [16]. A typical residential building was used as a simulation model in order to represent the mainstream residential buildings in the UAE. The model was then validated using measurement data from field study and audit reports. Based on the output of simulation, a regression model was developed in order to estimate the CO2 emission. This evaluation first estimated the variation in heating and cooling degree-days, as they were the

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98 most straightforward indicators on building energy demands. It then predicted the variation

on heating and cooling energy demands of the typical residential building to help illustrating

the consequences at the national level. To estimate the CO 2 emissions, the electricity

consumption was multiplied by the conversion factor of fuels in the UAE.

The first part of this section explores the contribution of UAE building sector to global

warming. The second part studies the impact of global warming on UAE building design

and operation in the UAE. The third part forecasts the future transformations in energy and

CO 2 emissions of the UAE building sector.

3.1 UAE building sector and its contribution to global warming

The energy consumption of buildings and its associated CO 2 emissions are influenced by the

interaction between three major factors including building design and materials, occupant

behaviour and above all climate. To reach the energy efficiency target, sequential processes

should be followed. These processes start with an optimum climatic design and end with an

efficient operation of building system by the occupants. The optimum design positively

impacts the building systems, particularly the HVAC and lighting systems. It may reduce

the building loads and equipment size and consequently the cost and energy use. However,

to obtain the maximum benefits of this design the occupants should operate the building

systems in an efficient way because they can directly alter the system performance through

controllers. For example, the energy consumption for heating and cooling depends on

internal temperature and ventilation and these parameters are controlled by the occupants.

In the ground, however, there is no question that the majority of buildings in the UAE are

designed, built and operated without attention being paid to the environmental and energy

system. Today, under the umbrella of a worldwide international style of buildings, and in

an attempt to embark on a new trend of modern architecture, huge glass fa?ades facing the

sun have appeared in cities such as Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Al-Ain. In energy terms, this

strategy is generally applied to gain the most solar radiation possible in order to heat up

buildings and utilise daylight and therefore, it is often used for cold climates. For hot

climates, such as that of the UAE, using this strategy may lead to a different scenario with

respect to cooling load. To apply this strategy in hot climates, the energy design should

utilise the availability of useful daylight by striking a balance between light and heat gain.

Nevertheless, this is not the case in the UAE. Huge projects have been constructed with

enormous glazed fa?ades facing the southeast and southwest without protection against

overheating and sun glare in the summer [17]. Furthermore, some construction materials

have low impact on CO 2 emissions that result from raw material acquisition, manufacture,

transportation, installation, maintenance and recycling, but provide a moderate reduction in

terms of operational energy, and vice versa. Others positively impact the embodied energy

and environmental performance and can optimise the cooling and heating energy

performance. Replacing or at least reducing the use of some construction material such as

concrete, reinforcing steels, formwork, and gypsum board have a direct impact on CO 2

emissions. Some materials and construction systems can decrease the amount of CO 2

emissions by around 6.9% [18]. In most projects in the UAE, however, materials are

evaluated and selected based on aesthetics and cost and not on their energy and

environmental performance [19]. It is, therefore, not surprising that 70% of the yearly

electric energy use is consumed by building systems. Figure 5 shows the energy end-uses of

a typical residential building in the UAE, where the electricity consumed by the HVAC

On the Effect of Global Warming and the UAE Built Environment 99 system is the most significant, particularly for cooling energy. The growth in electricity consumption for cooling buildings in the UAE region has increased ten times (from 5 to 50 Billion kWh) over the past two decades [20].

A key function of building design is to modify the indoor environment to be more suitable for habitation than the outdoor. If the building fails to meet this objective due to one or more reasons, such as insufficient design and materials selection or variations in climate parameters that probably make it impossible for any certain level of comfortable indoor environment to be achieved through passive means. Then, it is necessary to rely upon mechanical means to achieve the comfort level. As a result, additional electricity will be used by the HVAC system to provide a comfortable internal temperature for human being. Most people feel comfortable at indoors temperature ranging from 22 °C to 24 °C along with a range of 40–60% relative humidity. For a residential building it would normally be designed with comfort temperature selected from range 20 °C to 24 °C. With a heating system one figure would be chosen, but with air-conditioning system two figures would be selected, the higher one for summer (cooling) conditions. These figures are taken to apply generally for cold climates such as North America and Europe, and for warm countries higher figures would often be used, and in the harsh climates of the UAE, where the average maximum air-temperature reaches above 50 °C, an internal temperature of 26 °C and 27 °C would be considered comfortable. A significant amount of electricity and between 26.8% and 33.6% savings in cost can be achieved by raising the set point temperature from 24 °C to 26 °C in similar climate [21]. Nevertheless, this is not the case in most cities in the UAE, as the point temperatures are often set below 24 °C. This attitude can be related to two main reasons, first, low electricity prices and second, the support of the government where the citizen pays 0.05 AED (1 AED = 0.27 USD) for each kilowatt-hours and in some cases the government pays for the consumption [22]. These two reasons have reduced the people immediate interest in electricity conservation.

Clearly, harsh climatic conditions, building design and occupant behaviour in the UAE are contributing negatively to the increase in energy consumption and its associated CO2 emissions. As mentioned earlier that about 4% of the CO2 production in the UAE is caused by the direct emissions of buildings, 43% by electricity generation and 45% by manufacturing and construction. Electricity use in building sector is within the range of 50% to 73% with an average of 60%. The net energy consumption of the UAE reached 52.6 Billion kWh and the total annual CO2 emission got the level of 137.8 million metric tonnes [5]. These figures coupled with percentages in Figure 3 give a rough estimate of CO2 emissions per sector in the UAE. Around 5.50 million metric tonnes is caused by the direct emissions of buildings, 35.5 million metric tonnes from electricity use by building sector and 62.0 million metric tonnes by material manufacturing and building construction.

To reduce the above figures, it is necessary to eliminate the reasons behind the CO2 emissions. First, reduce the inefficient used of energy by educating people and providing a good energy management. Secondly, modify the impact of climate with minimum electricity use through climatic design. In this way it is possible to reduce the negative contribution of buildings to the global warming.

3.2 Impact of global warming on building design and operation

Changes in the external air-temperature will have significant consequences upon building thermal performance, particularly cooling and heating energy. The severity of the outside air-temperature related to cooling and heating energy consumption can be measured using

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100 the so-called degree-days. Figure 6 shows the impact of air-temperature on the cooling and

heating degree-days in the UAE. It is clear that there is a significant change, which

positively influences the heating degree-days, but negatively influences the cooling degree-

days. Cooling degree days can increase between 16% and 27% by 2050. This increase can

reach between 22% and 42% by 2100. The growth in cooling degree-days implies that to

reach a comfortable internal environment in the hot summer of the UAE, a dramatic change

will occur in the amount of electricity used by air-conditioning systems. Table 1 illustrates

the simulated impact of global warming on the cooling and heating demands. As can be

seen, there is a brief drop in heating energy demand with different rates ranging from 9.5%

to 37.1% due to the increase in air-temperature by 1.6 °C and 5.9 °C respectively. When this

applies to the cooling and ventilation energy, a different scenario occurs. There is a sharp

increase in the cooling energy which reaches a peak of 23.5% due to 5.9 °C increase. This

increase represents a clear indication that global warming will lead to a negative impact on

the total electricity demand, where changing from the current climate has reduced the

heating energy demand at the expense of a rise in annual cooling energy demand, and

therefore, additional total energy has been consumed. From the total energy increase; there

has been in effect a further CO 2 increase, with electric cooling energy consumption.

3.3 Forecasting future transformations in energy consumption and CO 2 emissions of

the UAE building sector

To forecast future transformations in the energy consumption and CO 2 emissions of the

UAE residential sector, a simple regression model was constructed in the light of current

building design and operation as well as the future weather conditions. The primary

analysis of the constructed model is based on a weighted ordinary least squares regression.

This type of regression is used to know the relationship between several independent or

predictor variables and a dependent or criterion variable. In the current case, the cooling

energy is the dependent and variables in the right side of the equation are the independents. 012345()()()w g g CE C C Tao C WWR C U v C U v C SC ++=++??+ (2) The result of regressing the simulated cooling energy (CE ) as obtained from Table 1 onto the

outside temperature (Tao ) and building design parameters including U-value of the wall, U-

v (w), window-to-wall ratio, WWR, U-value of the glazing, U-v (g), shading coefficient of the

glazing, SC (g), as found in the representative residential building is shown in Table 2. The

coefficient of determination, or R 2 of the CE, is 0.97 which would indicate a strong

relationship between the CE variables and the outside temperature, U-value of the wall,

WWR, U-value of the glazing and the SC of the glazing. The amount of CO 2 emissions (E ) is

subjected to the cooling energy, operational schedule (Op_sch ) and the conversion factor of

fuel (Cf ). Therefore, a simple linear equation was developed and used to calculate the CO 2

emission reduction due to the examined weather and none weather dependants. The following equation was used.

(_)emission C CEI Op sch Cf =××

With the current building design and operation in the UAE, the residential sector accounts

for 2646 GWh, or almost 46% of the total regional consumption. The global warming is

likely to increase the energy used for cooling buildings by 23.5% if the UAE warms by 5.9 °C

leading to a growth in electricity consumption to almost (current consumption + 12.5%) 2977

On the Effect of Global Warming and the UAE Built Environment 101 GWh, and consequently the total CO2 emissions will grow to almost 7.6 million metric tonnes. The net Emirati CO2 emissions could increase at around 138.4 million metric tonnes over the next few decades.

When energy efficiency techniques are applied to the current building design and operation, different scenario is occurred. Table 3 illustrates cooling energy savings due to each efficiency technique under different scenarios. The energy breakdown of the representative building show that electricity used for space cooling is approximately 65% or 97.5 MWh. As illustrated, adding thermal insulation to the case building due to 1.6 °C increase reduces the cooling demand by 19.3%. Considering the large amount of cooling energy demand this figure is significant. The minimum reduction is 15.5% due to 5.9 °C increase. At the same time, replacing the glazing type from single glazing to double low-energy glazing produces a significant savings in cooling energy demand as can be seen in the fall of energy consumption which reaches 10.5% due to 5.9 °C increase. As a great amount of cooling energy can be saved by glazing type, an appropriate design of window area offers a considerable opportunity to control electricity used by the AC system. As seen, reducing the WWR reduces the cooling energy by 3.7% and 9.0% under current climate and 5.9 °C increase. These figures indicate that thermal insulation performs best, followed by glazing type and then window area in descending order.

As these techniques stop the heat flow from the outside and reduce the cooling load and energy consumption leading to decreasing the CO2 emissions, authorities and energy code bodies in the UAE should develop such techniques and make the relevant part of the building design and regulations more stringent, and emphasise that the goal of saving energy is to reduce CO2 emissions into the atmosphere. This can be done by using CO2 emissions as one of the principal criteria by which the design of a building is judged. It can be implemented jointly with measures on specific envelope elements, system components and energy use patterns in order to ensure the dissemination of the most efficient building 4. The UAE strategy towards sustainability in the built environment

Indeed, the less a country depends on finite resources such as natural gas and oil, the stronger and more stable the economy will remain in the face of energy cost increases or reduced supplies. From an environmental point of view, the expenditure of non-renewable energy has a direct impact on the natural environment. Thereby, following the example of developed world without any consideration to the local environment may lead to critical economic and environmental consequences. To avoid such consequences, two major changes in patterns are proposed, first, effective measures to protect the depleted resources and second, valid policies to replace fossil fuels with non-fossil fuels.

4.1 Policies and legislations to reduce the energy demand

There has recently been a consensus to legislate for energy efficiency in the UAE. The government has realised the benefits of energy efficiency not from the point of view of the balance between energy supply and demand, but rather from a socio-economic and environmental standpoint. As the building sector is a major consumer of energy, the UAE government has concentrated on this sector and recognised the important role that efficiency codes play in reducing the amount of energy consumption, especially that of the HVAC systems. The thermal insulation code was first applied. The green building codes

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102 were then introduced. The new building energy codes conform to the most demanding

global standards and have been developed in tandem with the International Code Council

(ICC), responsible for advising US regulators on their exacting regime. Therefore, the UAE

building codes is considered as the first step towards developing consistent sustainable

policies in the UAE and the region. The UAE government, also, launched the Estidama

Program and the Pearls green building rating system which would become integrated into

the building code and therefore enforceable, as well as the launch of the Emirates Green

Buildings Council [23]. The rating system introduced by Estidama Program can be

considered as an important step towards low carbon emission buildings. Rating the

performance of buildings against itself and other buildings plays a key role in protecting the

environment, reducing energy consumption and checking on energy efficiency. Its most

significant contribution is that it provides a target for improvement.

A survey [24] concerns with the environmental sustainability in the UAE showed the

residential buildings before the codes as poor energy and carbon emission performers, while a

benchmarking study [25] categorised most educational buildings in Abu Dhabi Emirate as

poor energy and environmental performers when compared to international benchmarks.

Those studies indicated the inefficient building design and the poor energy management as

the main reasons behind the high energy consumption and CO2 emissions of those buildings.

An evaluation of the new building codes and their impact on energy and CO 2 emissions [22,

26] showed that using such codes can reduce the CO 2 emissions of buildings by 50%.

4.2 Initiatives to utilised renewable energy

Although the UAE has no consistent policy frameworks for sustainable technologies and

renewable energies, it has planned economic development programmers dedicated to

establishing new economic sectors focused on alternative energy and sustainable

technologies. For instant, two promising projects are planned to be completed in the next

few years: first, a $350 millions solar power plant and second, a $2 Billions hydrogen-fuelled

power plant [22]. Such projects, in general, can contribute to the sustainable development

including economic, environmental and technological well being. They will not only

contribute towards employment generation, but also reduce significant amount of GHG

emissions which would have taken place in ordinary power plant scenario with natural gas

and fuel oil based generation. In the latter project, the CO 2 will be kept underground which

represent one of the world first carbon capture and storage projects. Moreover, solar energy

based power generation system will be a robust and clean technology involving the latest

state of art renewable energy options to be used for the purpose of electricity generation.

Utilisation of clean and renewable energy has become a trend in the UAE, not only through

the establishment of sustainable power stations, but also through the construction of low

energy and free carbon emission built environment. There are some remarkable projects

going on in the UAE. The most notable project among these is Masdar City. Although the

concept is not new, Masdar City is planned to be a carbon-neutral, zero-waste city with the

aim of being one of the world’s most sustainable urban development powered by renewable

energy [27]. This huge project incorporates various sustainability techniques and renewable

energy technologies. It is planned to host two important institutions. First, the headquarter

of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) which will be the first global

agency based in the Middle East. Second, the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology

which will offer MSc and PhD programmes in alternative energy and sustainable

On the Effect of Global Warming and the UAE Built Environment 103 technologies as well as give opportunities to do various research activities in sustainable design [28].

To this end, protecting the depleted resources and switching towards more efficient use of energy coupled with replacing fossil fuels with non-fossil fuels would have a number of benefits for the UAE:

?The UAE would be given a better reputation in the regional and international policy arena.

?The reduction in the use of fossil fuels will lead to an increase in the exported oil and natural gas.

?The UAE would gain another important benefit from none-fossil fuels such as solar and wind energy. Consequently, it will be prepared for the post-oil era.

?Reducing the use of fossil fuel and the use of renewable energy will limit the effect of global warning on the UAE and on other countries in the Gulf region.

5. Summary

As energy scarcity and global warming are threatening human sustainability, governments and organisations must spend much effort in reducing the energy consumption and CO2 emissions. Buildings are one of the largest consumers of energy then they are also the largest contributor to the increase in the atmospheric CO2 and hence global warming and climate change. At the same time, building operation is likely to be especially affected by global warming. A rise in the ambient air-temperature can lead to a significant increase in electricity consumption and its associated CO2 emissions. Global warming is likely to increase the energy used for cooling residential buildings by 23.5% if the UAE warms by 5.9 °C. At the regional level, the energy consumption can be increased at around 5.4%. Consequently, the CO2 emissions can increase to almost 7.6 million metric tonnes. The net Emirati CO2 emissions could increase at around 138.4 million metric tonnes over the next few decades.

To cope with global warming and the increase of CO2 emissions, two major changes in patterns are suggested in the UAE: first, effective measures to protect the depleted resources and second, valid policies to replace fossil fuels with non-fossil. The former can be seen in the new building energy regulations. Implementing these regulations can reduce the CO2 emissions by 50%. The latter can be seen in establishing a new economic sector. This sector focuses on alternative energy and sustainable technologies through the installation of new power plants that use renewable resources in power generation. In addition, the construction of low energy and free carbon emission built environment such as Masdar City. Such a project can served as the foundation for an extension of activities in the field of low carbon emission buildings and renewable resources with the goal of reducing the impact of global warming on our life, economy and above all our built environment.

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Fig. 1. Locations of the UAE

Fig. 2. Analysis of UAE climate

On the Effect of Global Warming and the UAE Built Environment 107

Fig. 3. Energy consumption per sector

Global Warming

108

Fig. 4. Increase in CO 2 emissions relative to the use of energy

Fig. 5. Energy end-uses in the typical building

On the Effect of Global Warming and the UAE Built Environment 109

Fig. 6. Monthly heating and cooling degree days

Heating (KWH) Cooling

(KWH)

Fans

(KWH)

Electricity

(KWH)

CO2 emissions

(Kg/m2/yr)

Baseline

(consumption)

6369 73049 11886 122920 176

I.6 °C (%) -9.5 7.3 3.9 4.1 183

2.9 °C (%) -14.2 11.7 5.8 6.7 188

2.3 °C (%) -17.4 16.7 6.8 9.5 193

5.9 °C (%) -37.1 23.5 12.3 12.9 197 (-) reduction

Table 1. Increase in electricity and CO2 emissions due to global warming

Cooling requirement (CR)

C o C1 C2 C3 C4 C5

-258 11.8 20.2 249 2.9 27.6

7.4 0.2 0.7 8.6 0.5 4.9

R2 0.97

F 952

Table 2. Regressing the energy cooling energy requirement

Global Warming

110

Climate Baseline 1.6 °C 2.9 °C 2.3 °C 5.9 °C Consumption (KWH)

Cooling 75462 80434 83390 86811 96203

Electricity 126836 131393 134173 137397 145486

Reduction due to thermal

insulation (%)

Cooling 19.3 19.7 19.9 19.7 15.5

Electricity 15.5 15.9 16 15.9 13.1

Reduction due to glazing system

(%)

Cooling 5.4 5.4 5.5 5.5 10.5

Electricity 4.5 4.6 4.7 4.7 8.1

Reduction due to glazing area WWR (%)

Cooling 3.7 3.8 3.9 3.9 9

Electricity 3.2 3.2 3.3 3.3 6.8 (-) increase in energy demand

Table 3. Performance of design technologies under different scenarios

InTech Europe

unit4globalwarming单词和句型重点总结

Unit 4 Global warming全球变暖 一、词汇 about发生；造成 注意：（1）come about是不及物动词短语，不能用于被动语态，常指情况不受人控制的突然发生。有时用it作形式主语，that从句作真正主语。 （2）表示“发生”的词或短语有：happen,occur,take place,break ① Many a quarrel comes about through a misunderstanding. ② The moon came out from behind the clouds. ③ I’ll let you know if anything comes up. ④ I’ll come over and see how you are coming along. ⑤ I came across an old friend yesterday. ⑥ When she came to, she couldn’t recognize the surroundings. ① I subscribe to your suggestion. ② Which magazine do you subscribe to? ③ He subscribed his name to the paper（文件）. ④ He subscribed a large sum to the poor students. n.量；数量

① It’s cheaper to buy goods in quantity / in large quantities. ② A large quantity of silk is sold in Japan. ③ A large quantity of drugs are found in his home. ④ Large quantities of rain are needed in this area. ① He tends to get angry when others disagree with her. ② His views tend towards the extreme（极端）. ③ He was tending (to) his son when I saw him in the hospital. ④ Jane is nice but has a tendency to talk too much. =Jane is nice but she tends to talk too much. ① The price of the new house in our area has gone up by 1,000 yuan per square meter（平方米）。That is（也就是说）it has gone up to 5,000 yuan per square meter. ② The wind has gone down a little. ④ The country has gone through too many wars.

高中英语《Unit4Globalwarming》课文语法填空新人教版

《Unit 4 Global warming》 Does It Matter? 一、语法填空(根据课文内容、依据语法规则完成下面短文） When 1________ (compare) with most natural changes, that the temperature of the earth rose about one degree Fahrenheit during the 20th century is quite shocking. And it’s human activity 2________ has caused this global warming rather 3________ a random but natural phenomenon. Dr. Janice Foster explains that we add huge 4________ of extra carbon dioxide into the atmosphere by burning fossil 5________. From the second 6________ and the discovery of Charles Keeling, all scientists believe that the burning of more and more fossil fuels 7________ (result) in the increase in carbon dioxide. Greenhouse gases continue to build up. On the one hand, Dr. Foster thinks that the trend would be a 8________. On the other hand, George Hambley 9________ (state) that more carbon dioxide would encourage a greater range of animals and bring us 10________ better life.

Global warming全球变暖全英文介绍

One of the effects of global warming is the destruction of many important ecosystems.Changing and erratic climate conditions will put our ecosystems to the test, the increase in carbon dioxide will increase the problem. The evidence is clear that global warming and climate change affects physical and biological systems. There will be effects to land, water, and life. Already today, scientists are seeing the effects of global warming on coral reefs, many have been bleached and have died. This is due to warmer ocean waters, and to the fact that some species of plants and animals are simply migrating to better suited geographical regions where water temperatures are more suitable. Melting ice sheets are also making some animals migrate to better regions. This effects the ecosystems in which these plants and animals live. Several climate models have been made and they predict more floods (big floods), drought, wildfires, ocean acidification, and the eventual collapse of many ecosystems throughout the world both on land and at sea. There have been forecasts of things like famine, war, and social unrest, in our days ahead. These are the types of effects global warming could have on our planet. Another important effect that global warming will bring is the loss and endangerment of many species. Did you know that 30 percent of all plant and animal species alive in the world today are at risk of extinction by the year 2050 if average temperatures rise more than 2 to 11.5 degrees Fahrenheit. These mass extinctions will be due to a loss of habitat through desertification, deforestation, and ocean warming. Many plants and animals will also be affected by the inability to adapt to our climate warming.

globalwarming教案

Teaching Plan Contents: Reading Book 6 Unit 4 Global warming I.Analysis of the Teaching Material This article is from a magazine about global warming, which illustrates how global warming has come about and different attitudes to its effects. The passage is long, abstract and far away from their life. What’s more, there are many mouthful professional terms, which increases students’ difficulty while reading, although they have some knowledge about global warming. II. Analysis of the Students Students from Senior Two are the students in an excellent level, who have good abilities to read and speak. This unit talks about global warming, which has been taught in Geography. It will help students understand the text better and I believe the students will be interested in this class. However,because they pay little attention to this topic in the daily life, they may have few desire to speak something about global warming. III. Teaching objectives 1. Knowledge objective 1) Enable the students to analyze how global warming has come about； 2) Get students know different attitudes towards global warming and its effects. 2. Competence objective Improve the students’ reading and speaking abilities. 3. Emotion objective 1) Develop student s’ teamwork. 2) Raise their awareness of global warming. IV. Important points Enable the students to understand how global warming has come about. V. D ifficult points Get the students understand how global warming has come about. Let the students understand the difficult sentences better. ①It is human activity that has caused this global warming rather than a random but natural phenomenon. (Line 6) ②All scientists subscribe to the view that the increase in the earth’s temperature is due t o the burning of fossil fuels like coal, natural gas and oil to produce energy. (Line 18) ③This is when small amounts of gases in the atmosphere, like carbon dioxide, methane and water vapour, trap heat from the sun and therefore warm the earth.(Line 26-29) VI. Teaching aids: Multimedia classroom, printed material VII. Teaching methods: Task-based teaching, communicative teaching method VIII.Teaching procedures: Step 1. Lead in and pre-reading (5 mins ) It’s reported that global temperatures continue to rise, making July 2016 the hottest month in the history of the earth. Did you feel extremely hot in July? When you felt hot, what did you do? Did you feel global temperatures going up quietly? Let’s look at a flash (global temperatures from 1850 to 2016). What information can you get? The earth is becoming warmer and warmer. Is it natural or caused by human being? Do you think what effects global warming will bring about? Is global warming beneficial or harmful? Today we’re going to read a magazine article about global warming. It will work out your puzzles. Please open your book and turn to P26. Today we are going to

2017_2018学年高中英语大题精做04Globalwarming含解析新人教版

Unit 4 Global warming I. 完形填空 阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从各小题所给的四个选项 (A、B、C和D) 中，选出 最佳选项。 Today the scientific community is in almost total agreement that the earth’s climate is changing and that this represents a huge threat to the planet and to us. According to a survey, with only 69% accepting the earth is warming— only 1/4 Americans see global warming as a major threat, public opinion 1 the scientific conclusion. Climate scientists and campaigners have long debated how to better communicate the message to nonexperts so that climate science can be 2 into action. According to Christopher Rapley, the usual tactic(策略) of climate experts to provide the public wit h information isn’t 3 because ＂it does not address key potential causes.＂ We are all exposed to the evidence of climate change on an almost a daily basis. The information is almost 4 . Then what’s wrong? 5 our brains. Daniel Gilbert mentioned our brains’ failure to accu rately notice gradual change. Robert Gifford also __6__ the point about our brains’ difficulty in grasping climate change because of limited cognition and social __7__ with other people (＂Why should we change if X won’t?＂) .＂ A more powerful barrier is the 8 of perceived(感知的) be havioral control; ‘I’ m only one person; what can I do ?’ is certainly a big one.＂ For many, the first challenge will be in recognizing barriers 9 they can overcome them. But for those of us who understand that climate change is a problem yet make little effort to cut the number of overseas trips we make or the amount of meat we consume, neither the uncaring attitude nor denial really explains the 10 between our actions and beliefs. Lertzman has come to the conclusion that the conflict between __11 _ both the planet and our way of life is too painful to bear. ＂When we don’t 12 the pain of that, that’s when we get 13 and

高中英语《UnitGlobalwarming》阅读训练人教版选修

Global Warming Section A 本文词数:302 参考时间:2'40'' Rising temperatures in coming years would lead to less sea ice in the Southern Ocean that surrounds Antarctica and fewer habitats and feeding grounds for penguins, says the World Wildlife Fund (世界自然基金会) in its report 2 Degrees is Too Much. Antarctica and the Arctic are the most threatened regions from climate change. In the Antarctica, the temperature has risen 2.5 degrees in the past 50 years. This speed is nearly five times faster than that before the Industrial Revolution. It is mainly caused by burning fossil fuels. Unless nations reduce carbon dioxide emission1, the world will warm by an average of 2 degrees in less than 40 years. Rich nations should agree to reduce greenhouse gas emission. Temperatures near the Poles have risen much faster, which has led glaciers2 on the Antarctic Peninsula to melt3 quickly. The situation is quite critical, because in the past 50 years the number of emperor penguins (帝企鹅) has decreased by 50 percent across the whole Antarctica. On the Antarctic Peninsula’s northwest coast, the number of Adelie penguins (阿德里企鹅) has dropped surprisingly over the past 25 years. Fifty percent of the habitats of the emperor penguin and 75 percent of the habitats of the Adelie penguin face a rapid reduction, or even disappearance, if the global temperature rises 2 degrees above pre-industrial levels. With a 2-degree increase in global temperature and the decrease in sea ice thickness, emperor penguins will find it difficult to find new areas to live. With less sea ice, penguins could be pushed further south, but this could prevent them from hunting for food during the dark winters, because they need at least a few hours of daylight to find their food. Notes: 1. emission n. 排放 2. glacier n. 冰川 3. melt v. 融化 词数:150处理时间:2′45″ Read the passage and then choose the best answer for each question. 1. The purpose of the passage is to _____. A. introduce readers to the Adelie penguins and emperor penguins B. tell readers about the rising temperatures in the Antarctica C. tell readers about the effect of global warming D. warn people that Antarctica is becoming smaller and smaller 2. In the writer’s opinion, what has caused global warming? A. That the earth is getting hotter and hotter. B. That the atmosphere of the earth is becoming thinner. C. That carbon dioxide emission is too high. D. That the use of oxygen in the air is out of control. 3. From the first paragraph, what do you think the author wants to tell us?

【词汇讲解】英语Unit4Globalwarming

【词汇讲解】英语Unit 4 Global warming 重点单词精析 1. 【课文原句】It means that more heat energy tends to be trapped in the atmosphere causing the global temperature to go up. (P26) 【点拨】tend vi. 趋向，易于；tend to do sth 往往会做某事，易于做某事；tend towards sth 有……的趋势，倾向于。tend vt. 照顾，照料；tend (to, on) sb 照料某人。 【例句】Boys tend to be bigger than girls. 男孩往往比女孩个子大。 Old people tend to get fat. 老年人容易发胖。 She tends to get angry when others disagree with her. 别人不同意她的看法时，她很容易生气。He tends towards selfishness. 他有自私自利的倾向。 Doctors and nurses tended the injured. 医生和护士照料伤者。 They employed him to tend to the baby. 他们雇用他照料婴儿。 【拓展】tendency n. 倾向；have a tendency to do sth有做某事的倾向。如： Jean’s nice but she has a tendency to talk too much. 简人倒是不错，就是往往很唠叨。 2. 【课文原句】On the other hand, there are those, like George Hambley, who are opposed to this view, believe that we should not worry about high levels of carbon dioxide in the air. (P27) 【点拨】oppose vt. 反对，与……对抗/ 较量；opposed adj. 反对的，对立的（不用在名词之前）；be opposed to 反对，与……相对。 【例句】Mother opposed the idea at once. 妈妈立即反对这个想法。 You should oppose force with reason. 你们应当以讲理来对抗武力。 He is opposed by two other candidates. 他遭到了另外两位候选人的反对。 I’m strongly opposed to your going abroad. 我坚决反对你出国。 Black is opposed to white. 黑与白形成对比。 【拓展】as opposed to而非……。如： I am here on business as opposed to a holiday. 我在这里是办公事而不是度假。 3. 【课文原句】Glance quickly at the magazine article and answer the questions. (P27) 【点拨】glance vi. 一瞥，迅速看一眼，快速阅读。glance at / over 看一下，瞥一眼；glance round 环顾四周。 【例句】He glanced at the envelope and recognized his dad’s handwriting. 他瞥了一眼那个信封，认出是他爸爸的笔迹。 He walked into the room, glanced round, saw nobody that he knew, and left again at once. 他走进屋里，环顾一下四周，发现没有他认识的人，马上又离去。 【拓展】glance n. 一瞥，扫视。have / take a glance at 看一眼；at a glance 一眼，只看一眼；at first glance 乍一看。如： I know him at a glance. 我一看就认得他了。 At first glance the problem seemed very easy. 乍一看，问题似乎很简单。 【词汇讲解】英语Unit 4 Global warming 重点单词精练 一、单项填空。 1. We sometimes tend ______ that the ocean bottom is made up of smooth plains. A. towards thinking B. to think C. to thinking D. thinking 2. I am opposed to ______ shopping with others. A. making Ｂ．going C. taking D. doing 3. She ______ shyly at him out of the corners of her eyes.

高中英语必修6Unit4Globalwarming

新人教版高中英语必修6《Unit 4 Global warming》精品教案The earth is becoming warmer —but does it matter? 一、教学目标(Teaching aims) 根据高二年级学生的实际，并结合教学材料泛读精讲的特殊要求，将本教学材料的教学目标分为语言知识、语言技能、情感态度和文化意识等4个方面。 Part I 语言知识（Knowledge） 1. 词汇（Vocabulary）： 能理解、内化、运用以下单词—random, phenomenon, fuel, data, trend, catastrophe, consequence. 能理解、内化、运用以下短语—come about, subscribe to, quantities of, tend to, go up, be opposed to, a range of, build up, keep on, result in. 2. 句型（Sentenced Patterns）。如： It is human activity that has caused this global warming. There is no doubt that… The increase of the earth’s temperature is due to the burning of fossil fuels… On the one hand …on the other hand… Part II 语言技能（Skills） 1.了解“全球变暖”、“能源的种类”和“节约能源”等方面的知识，能听懂关于全球变暖的简单英语介绍，树立“节约能源、保护环境”的主人翁意识；能用英语表达同意和不同意、责备和抱怨等日常交际用语，掌握本单元关于气候、能源和环境的词汇、短语和句型，能根据阅读材料列举信息；能获取相关信息，且进行predicting, skimming, scanning, generalization 等阅读微技能训练。 2能在课堂讨论中发表自己的观点，并在课后落实到笔头,对课堂所学目标知识（the target language）有一个较好的学以致用的输出。 Part III 情感态度（Emotional Aims） 1.教育学生清醒认识“全球变暖”的事实，使其树立节约能源、保护环境的意识。 2.使学生在学习中形成一定的小组合作探究精神（Collaborative Inquiry Learning）。 Part IV 文化意识（Cultural awareness） 理解不同文化中人们对全球环境问题、能源问题的看法和关注程度。 二、教学重点、难点 1. 培养训练阅读技能及阅读策略，引领学生明确主旨与细节信息。 2. 通过深入理解文章帮助学生掌握重点词汇句式，深化主题，为阅读的输出做好准备，达到学以致用的连续学习过程。

Global Warming

Global Warming Global warming is the increase in the average temperature of the Earth's surface air and oceans.Climate change is any major change in measures of climate,such as temperature, rainfall and wind.Scientists have debated about global warming for years.Many have different opinions about the extent to which greenhouse gases are responsible for it.Greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide,are produced by factories, power stations and vehicles. They trap heat in the Earth's atmosphere.Research shows the level of carbon dioxide gas in the Earth's atmosphere has increased by more than 30% in the last 250 years.Carbon dioxide is produced by burning oil and coal.An increase in global temperatures has led to other problems.Scientists have observed a rise in sea levels and a melting of ice in the Earth's Polar areas.Scientists also believe that global warming is affecting endangered plants and animals,sea life and the seasonal activities of organisms.

Global Warming 原因 中英对照

原因分析 人为因素 1.人口剧增因素Dramatic increase in the population 人口的剧增是导致全球变暖的主要因素之一。同时，这也严重地威胁着自然生态环境间的平衡。这样多的人口，每年仅自身排放的二氧化碳量就将是一惊人的数字，其结果就将直接导致大气中二氧化碳的含量不断地增加。 The population factor is one of the main reasons in global warming. At the same time, this is a serious danger to the balance between naturalenvironment. So large the population is, each year only the amounts of their own carbon dioxide emissions would be a staggering figure. And this result will lead directly to the increaseof carbon dioxidein the atmosphere. 2.大气环境污染因素Environmental factors 环境污染的日趋严重已构成一全球性重大问题，同时也是导致全球变暖的主要因素之一。21世纪，关于全球气候变化的研究已经明确指出了自上个世纪末起地球表面的温度就已经开始上升。 Nowadays environmental pollution has turned major global problem, also lead to global warming. Now, global climate change research has clearly pointed out that since the end of last century , the Earth's surface temperature has begun to increase . 3.海洋生态环境恶化因素Deterioration of the marine environment factors 海平面的变化是呈不断地上升趋势，根据有关专家的预测到下个世纪中叶，海平面可能升高50cm。如不采取及对措施，将直接导致淡水资源的破坏和污染等不良后果。 At present, the sea-level was constantly on the rise, according to the experts forecast ,at the middle of the next century, sea levels could rise by 50cm. And if we do not take measures, that will lead to the damage and pollutionof fresh water resources . 4.土地遭破坏因素The land damage factors 众所周知良好的植被能保持水土流失。但人类活动由于为获取木材而过度砍伐森林、开垦土地用于农业生产以及过度放牧等原因，仍在对植被进行着严重的破坏,可能造成大范围洪涝灾害和沙尘暴，给社会造成重大经济损失，并恶化生态环境。 As is known to all, a good vegetation can prevent the soil and water loss. But due to human activities to get wood and cut down forest, cultivate land for agricultural production, there is still much serious damage to vegetation. And it can cause floods and dust storms, cause great economic loss to the society and worsen natural environment. 5.森林资源锐减因素the sharp drop in forest resources factor

(完整版)Unit8FocusonGlobalWarming课文翻译综合教程二

Unit 8 Focus on Global Warming John Weier Twenty-five years ago if you made a trip to the local library and perused the periodical section for articles on global warming, you’d probably have come up with only a few abstracts from hardcore science journals or maybe a blurb in some esoteric geopolitical magazine. As an Internet search on global warming now attests, the subject has become as rooted in our public consciousness as Madonna2 or microwave cooking.1 Perhaps all this attention is deserved. With the possible exception of another world war, giant asteroid, or an incurable plague, global warming may be the single largest threat to our planet.2 For decades human factories and cars have spewed billions of tons of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, and the climate has begun to show some signs of warming. Many see this as a harbinger of what is to come.3If we don’t curb our greenhouse gas emissions, then low-lying nations could be awash in seawater, rain and drought patterns across the world could change, hurricanes could become more frequent, and El Ninos could become more intense. Our Warming Planet What has worried many people now is that over the past 250 years humans have been artificially raising the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Our factories, power plants, and cars burn coal and gasoline and spit out a seemingly endless stream of carbon dioxide. We produce millions of pounds of methane by allowing our trash to decompose in landfills and by breeding large herds of methane-belching cattle. Nitrogen-based fertilizers, which we use on nearly all our crops, release unnatural amounts of nitrogen oxide into the atmosphere. Once these carbon-based greenhouse gases get into the atmosphere, they stay there for decades or longer. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)since the industrial revolution, carbon dioxide levels have increased 31 percent and methane levels have increased 151 percent. Paleoclimate readings taken from fossil records show that these gases, two of the most abundant greenhouse gases, are at their highest levels in the past 420,000 years. Many scientists fear that the increased concentrations of greenhouse gases have prevented additional thermal radiation from leaving the Eart h. In essence, these gases are trapping excess heat in the Earth’s atmosphere in much the same way that a windshield traps solar energy that enters a car.4 Much of the available climate data appear to back these fears.5Temperature data gathered from many different sources all across the globe show that the surface temperature of the Earth, which includes the lower atmosphere and the surface of the