An extremely interesting lecture was delivered on 19 May in Nicosia by Professor Mat Santamouris, a Distinguished Professor of High-Performance Architecture at the University of New South Wales in Australia and Chair of the Scientific Expert Panel of the Cyprus Institute’s Energy, Environment and Water Research Centre. It was organized by the Association of the Friends of the Cyprus Institute and was attended by members of the national academic and educational community as well as the President and officers of the Scientific and Technical Chamber of Cyprus.

Prof. Santamouris presented the findings of studies conducted in several million students around the world, which provide substantial evidence that long-term heat exposure has significant social and economic implications, disproportionately affecting low-income and minority students.

The anticipated rise in global temperatures is expected to exacerbate existing vulnerabilities worldwide, potentially deepening the disparities in cognitive capacity between wealthy and poor countries, as well as between affluent and disadvantaged population groups within individual nations.

To address this serious challenge, Prof. Santamouris reported on the results of several studies showing that, when properly implemented, air conditioning in classrooms can improve students’ cognitive performance. However, studies conducted primarily in tropical and cooling-dominated climates indicate that the effective use of passive cooling measures can achieve comparable cognitive benefits to those provided by air conditioning.

At the same time, it is essential to ensure proper ventilation in classrooms to prevent an unnecessary rise in carbon dioxide levels. The use of air conditioning without adequate ventilation can have a detrimental impact on students’ health and cognitive performance, causing reduced attention spans, diminished ability to concentrate, and higher absenteeism.

The lecture was followed by a lively discussion with the audience. You can watch it on the Cyprus Institute’s YouTube channel.