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What's the Impact of Heat Islands?
- Nashad Carrington
- Dec 5, 2023
- 2 min read
Why did the ice cream truck refuse to go downtown during a heatwave?
Because even the cones couldn't handle the heat island effect!
With climate change turning up the temperature in cities, that poor ice cream didn't stand a chance—it was melting faster than a snow cone in a sauna!
Urban heat islands refer to areas in cities that experience significantly higher temperatures than their rural surroundings due to human activities. The negative health effects of heat islands include compromised human health and comfort, increased energy consumption, impaired water quality, and elevated pollutants and greenhouse gases. ("Mitigating the Heat Island Effect" Mass.gov) To combat heat islands, urban communities can implement various strategies such as increasing tree and vegetative cover, installing green or cool roofs, replacing normal pavement with cool pavement, and utilizing smart growth practices. ("Heat Island Cooling Strategies" EPA) ("Urban Heat Island Effect Solutions and Funding" National League of Cities) These strategies can help reduce surface and air temperatures, provide shade, and improve stormwater management. For example, planting trees and increasing vegetation can lower surface and air temperatures by providing shade and cooling through evapotranspiration ("What You Can Do to Reduce Heat Islands" EPA)
Green roofs, which are vegetative layers grown on rooftops, can reduce temperatures of the roof surface and the surrounding air, while also improving stormwater management. (EPA) Additionally, using cool pavements, either reflective or permeable, can help reduce the urban heat island effect. Successful heat reduction efforts from around the world include Vienna's Cool Strasse program, which involved fitting streets across the city with arches to provide shade and reduce temperatures. ("7 ways to reduce the urban heat island effect" The Earthbound Report) Furthermore, in Sacramento, California, trees were used to reduce runoff by intercepting rainfall and absorbing water that would otherwise be diverted to municipal storm drains. (Mass.gov)
In terms of cost estimation, the EPA recommends communities to invest in planting trees and increasing vegetation, installing green or cool roofs, and replacing normal pavement with cool pavement to mitigate the effects of urban heat islands. (National League of Cities) The effectiveness of these strategies in reducing temperatures may vary based on factors such as local climate, urban design, and the extent of implementation.
Combating the negative health effects of heat islands requires a multi-faceted approach that includes increasing green spaces, implementing cool roofs and pavements, and utilizing smart growth practices. Successful efforts from around the world demonstrate the effectiveness of these strategies in reducing the urban heat island effect. While specific cost and temperature reduction estimations per square mile are not readily available in the provided search results, the implementation of these strategies can contribute to creating more resilient and healthier urban communities.
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