The Netherlands' blistering summers are prompting an innovative response from health experts and urban planners, as the country's national heatwave plan is activated in a bid to keep residents cool. A striking solution being promoted to households in Amsterdam involves hanging curtains or sheets outside windows – an unusual yet effective method designed to prevent direct sunlight from heating up homes.
The Dutch approach stems from the fact that their traditional housing stock, like many across Northern Europe, was built to maximise sunlight and warmth during colder, damper periods. However, this leaves them vulnerable to prolonged heatwaves, with alarming consequences: approximately 110 people die annually in Amsterdam due to heat – a figure that could escalate to 600 without significant preventative measures.
Eline Coolen, the Netherlands' heat coordinator at the Amsterdam public health institute, has highlighted this vulnerability through social media campaigns. She urges city-dwellers to set up temporary curtain rails or simply drape materials externally to prevent direct sunlight from heating homes. This 'DIY' approach draws inspiration from observations in areas like Barcelona, where external shading practices are common.
As part of the national heatwave plan, crucial advice is being provided on caring for vulnerable populations, including the elderly. Concurrently, researchers are trialling experimental urban cooling techniques, such as deploying 'fake trees', 'shadow art' installations, and mobile 'jungle blocks'. These initiatives reflect a multi-faceted approach to addressing the issue.
Professor Bert Blocken, a mechanical engineering expert at Heriot-Watt University, underscores the physics behind these methods. He argues that investing in solutions like external blinds, whitewashing flat roofs, and increasing green spaces – including parks and trees – are vital for climate adaptation. Blocken notes that while modern architecture often exacerbates heat issues with large glazed facades, ancient civilisations successfully used exterior solar shading.
A study by the Dutch homeowner association Vereniging Eigen Huis revealed that 23% of surveyed individuals felt their homes were too hot during a heatwave, despite four out of five attempting to cool them down. Werner Hagens, coordinator of the Dutch heatwave plan, stressed the importance of simple awareness campaigns in reducing heatwave-related deaths.