Advancing Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation Strategies in the Tropics

Abstract

Tropical environments cover a large part of the Earth: almost all the portion of the planetary surface included between latitudes 23.43 North (Tropic of Cancer) and 23.43 South (Tropic of Capricorn) [1]. Tropical climates can be divided in three subclimates: rainforest, monsoon, and savannah [2]. All these climates imply high humidity values and average temperatures of the coldest month greater to 18 °C [3]. In such environments, buildings and cities must face overheating for large periods of the year. Moreover, almost the 40% of humanity is living in these environments [4], and the number is expected to grow to the 50% by the 2050 [5]. Many megalopolises with more than 10.000.000 of inhabitants are placed there: Calcutta (India), Lagos (Nigeria), Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), Canton (China), and Manila (Philippines) are just a few examples.