Underground Climate Change

The infrastructure and utilities located beneath cities continuously reject heat in the subsurface, creating subsurface urban heat islands. This phenomenon, known as an underground climate change, is causing ground temperatures to rise by up to 2.5°C per decade, with local anomalies exceeding 70°C. These temperatures pose risks to building foundations, underground transportation systems, public health, and the environment. However, underground climate change also presents valuable opportunities to retrofit building envelopes and deploy geothermal technologies to reduce the diffusion of waste heat in the urban subsurface and enhance the sustainability of cities.