NEWS DIGEST
NEW REPORT FINDS FORESTED AREAS NATURALLY CURB COOLING COSTS
SCHOOL : University of St Gallen, Switzerland
Forests act as “natural air-conditioning” that reduce the amount of electricity consumed to cool homes and cities, according to a study led by the University of St Gallen’s Stefano Ramelli. The study found that when there are forested areas in a location’s prevailing wind direction, the need for air conditioning decreases, as does electricity consumption, generating billions in value through economic savings. This is because air currents carry cooler and more humid air from the forests into populated areas, with effects extending more than 200km from forest boundaries and being particularly evident during summer months and periods of extreme heat. When forest cover is lost, electricity consumption and associated costs rise accordingly, with the study estimating that a loss equivalent to one standard deviation would increase annual consumption in the US by around 37 million megawatt-hours at a cost of approximately $6.4 billion. “Our work highlights just how precious our local forests are in reducing our exposure to extreme heat. They provide a form of natural air conditioning that must be carefully protected,” reasoned Ramelli, an assistant professor
at St Gallen who led the study with scholars at IESE Business School and Harvard Business School. The researchers analysed changes in forest cover between 1985 and 2023 in the US, linking these to long-term data on wind directions, temperatures and monthly electricity consumption. They also examined the locations of around 4,300 data centres. The focus was on the US because of the widespread presence of air conditioning systems. However, their use is on the rise in Europe, following a spate of heatwaves across the continent. “Things are changing quickly, as anyone who tried to buy a portable air conditioner in Switzerland during the recent heatwaves knows. They were sold out everywhere,” commented Ramelli. “Forests can serve as a form of decentralised climate-adaption infrastructure,” he added, arguing that these benefits are largely overlooked in current political debates. TBD
SHARE YOUR NEWS AND RESEARCH UPDATES by emailing AMBA & BGA content editor Tim Banerjee Dhoul at t.dhoul@amba-bga.com
Ambition • ISSUE 4 • 2026 11
Made with FlippingBook - Share PDF online