Which came first – building cooling loads or global warming? – a cause and effect examination.

While weather changes from day to day, climate change occurs on a time scale far in excess of a human lifetime. Climate had been changing dramatically even before humans evolved on Earth. Notwithstanding this, there is evidence supporting an accelerated global warming trend over the last century. Scientists agree that much of the global warming can be attributed to increases in certain greenhouse gases, notably water vapour and carbon dioxide. What scientists disagree over is what amount of the greenhouse effect is due to human activity. This paper's purpose is to quantify, through computer simulations, the increased cooling loads imposed by recognized climate change models and give designers a framework within which to set goals for new building efficiency measures. The paper does not include proposals for methods of reducing energy consumption in buildings – instead, it demonstrates the probable impact global warming trends have on buildings' cooling loads and vice versa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]