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Is Climate Change Prompting A Change In Heating Requirement Bylaws?

There have been considerable changes in our climate over the past decades owing to specific factors, like global warming. These changes seem to be inciting a switch in the heating requirement bylaws. Countries like Canada, for instance, have heating requirement bylaws in place for buildings in cold seasons, but there are no such laws in place for people’s safety under scorching temperatures. The increasing world temperature change has elicited a lot of views about having measures in place to moderate heating requirements in hot seasons.

Look at Hamilton, climate change there has made the city to modify its heating requirements for apartments, reducing the number of months landlords are required to heat houses in hot seasons.

Recently, there had been disruptions of dozens of climatic records: melting glaciers, heat waves records and rising tides. You know the problem with hot weather is not just about discomfort, it could also be life-threatening. The elderly and the homeless are most affected. Apparently, they are not protected from fatal heat. There have been reports from Ontario that mortality rate rises for homeless people during heat waves than it does during the cold snap. This is due to increased risk for heat-related illnesses for homeless people. Worst still, people living in public houses encounter more challenges during heat waves – they might not be able to afford fans and other cooling systems. Care homes for the elderly do not have air conditioning facilities and do not open their windows for safety purposes. People with dementia find it hard to speak up too! These categories of people are challenged with speaking up.

Advocates suggest the government should institute an upper heating temperature for buildings during the hot season in a similar way many cities have maximum temperature requirement during winter. Another suggestion brought forward is to make it a law for 24/7 running of cooling centers in very hot seasons.

In California, lawmakers have worked hard to ensure that bills supporting improvement in air quality are passed. This includes laws governing the emission of air pollutants like CO2 from fossil fuels used in heating or factories.
Groups like League of Women Voters of California (LWVC) have been advocating for the preservation of California’s natural resources, public health, and safety through protection from legislation. It should be noted that worldwide climate change is the most significant problem of our time.

Attempts are also being made by the California government to reduce emission impact on global climate through the adoption of Regional Climate Action Plans. One of the aims of LWVC climate change action policy is to promote a clean, low-carbon energy economy that is sustainable including all forms of renewable energy and transportation infrastructure. This league encourages measures to reduce pollution from mobile and stationary sources. They are pushing for the enactment of laws to cut greenhouse emission and the introduction of energy efficient renewable systems. In brief, the LWVC’s position on energy is the development of heating requirements or policies that will safeguard the reliability of energy resources, public health, and safety, protection of the environment at reasonable customer rates.

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