The effect of climate change on energy consumption and environmental pollution according to degree days indicator “Baghdad city as an example”

Abstract

The problem of climate change has emerged globally in recent decades. One of its most prominent indicators is the increase in temperatures in all countries, especially in regions with hot and arid climates. This has coincided with the problem of rising energy consumption for cooling needs in cities, especially in the summer season. Also, the increase in energy consumption contributes to increasing environmental pollution in urban areas. This, in turn, contributes to global warming. Several methods have emerged to calculate the energy consumption of buildings. The degree-days method is more applicable because it provides an accurate analysis of the temperature of the weather and its change on any given day and throughout the seasons of the year. This research calculated the cooling degree days for Baghdad City from 1960 until 2019. The results revealed that the annual average of degree days measured over the years had increased by 24% since 1960; energy consumption was calculated accordingly to determine the energy requirements, which had increased by 30%. The calculation of degree days will enable a local climate to assess critical issues of climate change and energy consumption related to environmental pollution.