In this blog post, we’ll explore the question: Can nature’s wisdom solve modern environmental problems? We’ll explore how the wisdom of the past can contribute to solving today’s environmental challenges.
Extreme weather events such as prolonged tropical nights in the summer and cold winters and heavy snowfall in the winter are changing the global ecosystem. Experts have pointed to excessive greenhouse gas emissions caused by energy overuse as the main cause of these extreme temperatures that threaten our lives, and have proposed various measures to solve the problem. One of them is the “blue economy,” which has recently gained attention.
The blue economy is not simply the development of eco-friendly materials or technologies, but a more active approach that mimics the circulatory system of natural ecosystems. As a result, systems are being developed that require minimal energy to be effective. While the “blue economy” has only recently gained traction in Europe, these systems have been in use for a long time. There are many examples of how humans have harnessed nature and coexisted in harmony with it.
From ancient civilizations to modern times, there has always been technology that harnesses nature. During the construction of the pyramids in Egypt, vents were designed between rooms to avoid the intense heat of the sun and to naturally regulate room temperature. These ventilation systems are still adopted as architectural ideas today. The idea was to harness the power of nature to its fullest potential, but to do so with respect and understanding.
In ancient Rome, water was also brought to the city through a massive system of aqueducts, or aqueducts. This system harnessed the power of gravity to deliver water to entire cities with very little energy, and was a major influence on modern water systems. Humans have a long history of developing ways to utilize nature effectively and not consume more resources than necessary.
If you go to the Iranian city of Yazd, you’ll see many old chimneys that don’t emit smoke. These chimneys are called “wind towers” because they are used to keep homes cool or to cool warehouses that store ice. If you open the entrance to the wind tower in the direction of the wind, the cool breeze from outside will enter the house. The hot air inside the house then rises upward and is exhausted through the outlet of the wind tower to the outside. This utilizes the phenomenon of convection, which is related to the temperature difference between the air inside and outside the building, and the cooler air from outside keeps the house cooler, allowing for cooling without consuming any other energy.
The ‘wind tower’ was also used as a cooling device for a natural refrigerator connected to an underground aqueduct. This was based on the principle that air velocity and pressure are inversely proportional, and that air flow travels from higher to lower pressure. The wind that enters the entrance of the ‘wind tower’ speeds up as it passes through the narrow passage at the entrance, creating a low-pressure zone inside the warehouse. Similarly, when hot wind blowing from the ground encounters a narrow passage connected to an underground waterway, the air speeds up and becomes relatively less pressurized than at ground level. Due to the pressure difference, the air entering the channel is stripped of heat as it comes into contact with the cold groundwater and is fed into the low-pressure zone inside the warehouse. The hot air inside the warehouse then rises and is expelled by convection. This is how cool refrigerators have long been available in Iran.
Today, we are faced with the new challenge of climate change, which poses complex problems that cannot be solved by simply repeating the methods of the past. However, the philosophy and principles of a “blue economy” that mimics nature are still valid. Through it, we are finding ways to reduce energy consumption and still achieve sustainable development, which could be the answer to the problems we face.
At a time when we are paying the price for upsetting the balance of ecosystems, we may need to look to the wisdom of our ancestors for answers to solve environmental problems and continue to grow. Sustainable solutions for our future start with harmonizing with nature, and the “blue economy” will be one of the keys.
