Although I agree that a lot of the environmentalist movement is transforming into religion, I don't think this is a good example of it. In locations with cheap land and feasible climate, passive cooling achieves cooling whilst using no power.
It's not better because it's older, it's better because it is more efficient.
If you know anything of the religious extremists destroying our cities you know there are enough that they will take something like this, try and integrate it into a design, get some engineer from the same denomination to approve it and put it in a building to grease the moral self applauds of the planning committee desperate to please the gods.
There is a building in my city, fully built, which decided to put 3 wind turbines at the top of it. If you are familiar at all with wind turbines you know they create a lot of vibration and noise. They shouldn't be built in high density areas. Of course this meant those living in the building within 15 floors near the turbines experienced constant noise, and vibration. They are now permanently disabled.
It was allowed to be built where no tall building existed mainly because of these talismans.
> The turbines are of course not merely decorative but have a function which is directly related to the Elephant’s status as an energy action area and to the achievement of the zero carbon growth which is a key objective of the framework.”
Your city has it particularly bad, don't let that convince you that everywhere is like London. I live somewhere much more pragmatic, and passive cooling is used without the religious issues you predict.
It's not better because it's older, it's better because it is more efficient.