ASHRAE Journal - April 2021 - 34

COLUMN ENGINEER'S NOTEBOOK

TABLE 1 Excerpted U.N. SDG Targets1 relevant to the tangible outcomes of the ongoing work of Standard 189.1 and the IgCC.
GOAL

3

GOAL DESCRIPTION

TARGET NUMBER

Good Health and Well-Being 3.9

6

Affordable and Clean
Energy

Sustainable Cities and
Communities

11

Responsible Consumption
And Production

12

STANDARD 189.1 PARALLEL

By 2030, substantially reduce the number of deaths and illnesses
from hazardous chemical and air, water and soil pollution and
contamination.

Section 8: Particulates, ozone,
VOCs; Section 7: Grease effluent;
Section 10: IAQ testing.

6.3

By 2030, improve water quality by reducing pollution, eliminating
dumping and minimizing release of hazardous chemicals and materials, halving the proportion of untreated wastewater and substantially
increasing recycling and safe reuse globally.

6.4

By 2030, substantially increase water use efficiency across all sectors
and ensure sustainable withdrawals and supply of freshwater to
address water scarcity and substantially reduce the number of people
suffering from water scarcity.

7.2

By 2030, increase substantially the share of renewable energy in the
global energy mix.

7.3

By 2030, double the global rate of improvement in energy efficiency.

11.6

By 2030, reduce the adverse per capita environmental impact of cities, including by paying special attention to air quality and municipal
and other waste management.

12.4

By 2020, achieve the environmentally sound management of
chemicals and all wastes throughout their life cycle, in accordance
with agreed international frameworks, and significantly reduce their
release to air, water and soil in order to minimize their adverse
impacts on human health and the environment.

12.5

By 2030, substantially reduce waste generation through prevention,
reduction, recycling and reuse.

Clean Water and Sanitation

7

DESCRIPTION

Section 6: Control of grease and
backwash discharge, dual plumbing
piping for reclaimed water, water
use efficiency in indoor fixtures and
landscaping.

Section 7 for on-site renewables
and energy efficiency.
Section 7: Only carbon dioxide
emissions (no mention of refrigerants beyond CFCs or products of
combustion).
Section 9: Construction and
manufacturing waste management,
recycled content, environmental
product declarations, life-cycle
assessment.

TABLE 2 Excerpted U.N. SDG Targets1 related to community resilience.
GOAL

GOAL DESCRIPTION

TARGET NUMBER

DESCRIPTION

1

No Poverty

1.5

By 2030, build the resilience of the poor and those in vulnerable situations and reduce their exposure and vulnerability to
climate-related extreme events and other economic, social and environmental shocks and disasters.

11

Sustainable Cities and
Communities

11.B

By 2020, substantially increase the number of cities and human settlements adopting and implementing integrated policies
and plans toward inclusion, resource efficiency, mitigation and adaptation to climate change, resilience to disasters, and
develop and implement, in line with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015 - 2030, holistic disaster risk
management at all levels.

13

Climate Action

13.1

Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters in all countries.

coronavirus disease pandemic), left many feeling that
the high cost of electricity was a barrier to cooling and
that it was more difficult to leave the house to go to an
air conditioned space for relief.13
These temporary difficulties point to the chronic
situation in poorer communities every year when the
elderly and people with limited mobility are at greatest
risk of heat stress.14 A 2009 study of the health impacts
of extreme heat waves in California showed increases
in cardiovascular deaths with increased temperatures
and higher heat-related mortality in populations living below the poverty line. The authors noted that the
combined " Climate Gaps " in both public health and
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APRI L 2021

economic disparity could not be overlooked in climate
action policies.15

Positive Feedback is Stressing Us Out
As HVAC designers, we need to have a design mindset
not only for recovery from the acute shocks, but a means
to address the chronic stresses brought about by the
mechanical systems we design.
One of the cruel ironies of working for climate action
from within the HVAC industry is that global warming
and air-conditioner use are locked in a positive feedback
loop at an acute local scale: as outdoor air temperature
goes up, so does air-conditioning use, which then causes
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ASHRAE Journal - April 2021

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