Why climate change troubles satellites: The Reengineer Monitor #17

France resilience plan, colour-changing paint - and more!

Heating and cooling

Researchers in Germany are studying underground caverns in the country in the hope that they could be converted into geothermal storage facilities in the future.

Meanwhile, a Scottish health board is exploring the potential for heating facilities in Aberdeen with geothermal energy.

Staying with Scotland for a moment, the government there has decided to scrap plans to make homeowners install clean heating systems such as heat pumps. Acting net zero secretary Gillian Martin said the legislation would “make people poorer”. The Scottish Green party, which drafted the legislation, have criticised the decision.

Buildings and infrastructure

In 2022, an unprecedented heatwave struck the UK. The fires it caused were made “six times more likely” by climate change, according to a new study. “Our findings underscore a stark reality: climate change is amplifying fire risks right now, even here in the UK. Wildfires will pose an increasing risk to people, property, infrastructure and ecosystems as temperatures continue to rise,” says co-author Douglas Kelley at the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, in a statement.