Graphic: Climate Central; Note: "Cooling degree days" reflect the sum total, in degrees, that daily average temperatures in a time period need to be cooled to reach 65°F
Today, Des Moines classrooms need more cooling during back-to-school season than in past decades, a new analysis found.
Why it matters: Maintaining a comfortable and healthy learning environment is key to kids' educational success, but that's getting harder amid a warming climate.
Many schools are already making adjustments. Some in Iowa, for example, have protocols to move recess indoors or let students out early.
Driving the news: A Climate Central report finds that cooling demand between late July and early September increased 12% in Des Moines between 1970 and 2023.
What's next: Like other buildings, schools must adapt to a changing climate — and that can mean costly upgrades.
"Buildings can be retrofitted with better windows and insulation to reduce energy waste, and existing fossil-fuel burning systems can be replaced with safer, more energy-efficient options," per Climate Central.
