There is not any single architectural approach that may remedy the issue of sweltering warmth, which has gripped massive components of Europe this summer season. But on a continent the place air-conditioning is comparatively restricted, sustainable constructing methods can go a great distance in defending residents, in keeping with consultants.

Those options, which embody courtyards, heavy shutters, reflective portray and white-stone facades, can preserve houses cool naturally and scale back the necessity for air-conditioning. The downside, significantly for Mediterranean cities which have endured scorching temperatures this summer, is that many more moderen buildings have been constructed utilizing Western kinds that entice warmth, mentioned Marialena Nikolopoulou, a professor of sustainable structure on the University of Kent in England.

“We’ve started importing Western architecture and forgetting about local traditions,” Dr. Nikolopoulou mentioned, talking from Athens, the most well liked capital on the continent — with a median day by day most temperature of 92 levels Fahrenheit (33.4 Celsius) in July — and one of the densely populated. Modern, high-rise buildings and using supplies like asphalt for roads entice warmth, contributing to the “heat island” effect, wherein cities are hotter than surrounding rural areas. A warmth wave in Greece has led to tinder-dry circumstances that have stoked wildfires in components of the nation.

In the United States, some householders and companies are investing in low-cost methods to help in cooling buildings, akin to portray roofs white or one other reflective colour that may assist make air-conditioning items extra vitality environment friendly. Miami-Dade County secured tens of millions of {dollars} in federal funding to help retrofit homes and businesses to remain cooler in the summertime.

In Mediterranean international locations like Greece, Italy, Spain and Portugal, conventional homes have a tendency to incorporate qualities that permit for breezes to run by them. Thick partitions assist take up warmth throughout the day and launch it at night time, and options that present shade, like pergolas, additionally serve to maintain residents cool and scale back solar publicity, mentioned Catalina Spataru, a professor of world vitality and sources on the University College London Energy Institute. Narrow passageways in some metropolis facilities and tree-lined streets additionally present shade for pedestrians.

Europe is experiencing heat waves at a fee that’s more frequent and more intense than in lots of different components of the world, and quite a few houses should not outfitted with air-conditioning. Governments in Greece, Italy and Spain have imposed measures to guard residents from the warmth, together with directing individuals towards public cooling areas, counting on warning methods for excessive warmth and planning to create smaller neighborhood parks, which could be a number of levels cooler than the streets.

Cooling consultants say that elevated reliance on energy-guzzling air-conditioning isn’t a sustainable answer. Conventional cooling units, together with air-conditioners and fridges, already account for as a lot as 10 p.c of all international greenhouse fuel emissions, in keeping with a World Bank report revealed in 2019. That quantity is twice the emissions generated from aviation and sea journey mixed, the report discovered.

Annual gross sales of air-conditioning items around the globe have tripled since 1990, in keeping with the International Energy Agency, an intergovernmental group that gives coverage suggestions on the worldwide vitality sector. In 2022, 89 p.c of U.S. households had air-conditioning, in contrast with 19 p.c in Europe, the I.E.A. discovered.

Particularly in locations the place air-conditioning isn’t out there, life-style adjustments are vital for adapting to rising temperatures, cooling consultants say. Those embody avoiding out of doors actions throughout the hottest components of the day, checking in on susceptible neighbors and embracing the siesta — even in Northern Europe and locations with cooler climates the place individuals are unaccustomed to stopping work or actions within the afternoon warmth.

While temperatures in Northern Europe are usually cooler than in Southern Europe, a serious problem is that many houses are designed to retain warmth.

An instance of that is Scandinavia, the place many homes are constructed utilizing lighter building supplies like wooden, which is nice for chilly climate, however might make dealing with excessive warmth tougher, Dr. Spataru mentioned. “There is a kind of growing awareness that we need to design homes that are more resilient to extreme weather conditions,” she mentioned.

A University of Oxford examine revealed this month discovered that Britain, Norway and Switzerland would see probably the most dramatic relative enhance in uncomfortably sizzling days if the worldwide goal of limiting warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) above preindustrial levels was missed. (Countries in Central Africa would see probably the most excessive temperatures total, the examine discovered.)

“Buildings and homes in Northern Europe are unsuitable for an increasingly hot climate,” mentioned Radhika Khosla, an affiliate professor centered on cooling and sustainable improvement on the University of Oxford and a co-author of the examine.

Without sustainable interventions, elevated reliance on air-conditioning will contribute to a cycle of accelerated fossil gasoline burning to maintain individuals cool because the world exterior will get hotter, she mentioned.