British Columbia Environmental Film Festival

International Sustainability (BUNDLE)

Available in 06d 18h 49m 23s
Available December 1, 2024 8:00 AM UTC
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Freetown, Sierra Leone, faces heat-related problems due to poverty and rising temperatures. To address this, the city appointed a Chief Heat Officer, Eugenia Kargbo, who is working with MEER (Mirrors for Earth's Energy Rebalancing) to develop a heat management plan for residents.


MEER is a nonprofit organization focused on providing urban heat relief and combatting global overheating. Dr. Ye Tao founded MEER after recognizing the severity of global warming. Current levels of greenhouse gases have resulted in locked-in warming of 2.5℃, which is projected to exceed 4℃ by 2100. Dr. Tao's solution is to manufacture mirrors from recycled aluminum and plastic to reflect sunlight to space before the light is converted to heat. Ultracool mirrored roofs provide zero-energy cooling to buildings. At scale, MEER mirrors can cool the Earth.


Twelve local University graduates, led by Dr. Tao, conducted MEER's first urban project installing ultracool roofs on forty homes in the shantytown of Kroo Bay, while gaining valuable skills and training.


This documentary follows a family coping with excessive temperatures of 35℃ or higher inside their home by spending much of their time outside. Extreme heat causes health issues like skin rashes and sleep problems. After deploying the ultracool MEER roofs the interior temperature of their house decreased by 5-7℃, allowing the family to work and sleep inside their home, a definite improvement in their living conditions. MEER and Freetown City Council plan to expand this pilot project to improve the lives of more residents.

  • Year
    2024
  • Runtime
    10 minutes
  • Language
    English
  • Country
    Sierra Leone
  • Director
    Surabhi Tandon
  • Producer
    Peter Dynes, Eric Golden
  • Cast
    Ye Tao