Asphalt Will Fix UHI Later

Asphalt Will Fix UHI Later

I’ve written about the urban heat island (UHI) effect and albedo before. The short and sweet of it is some folks believe allowing dark horizontal surfaces to absorb solar energy is dangerous; therefore, we should paint those surfaces with reflective coatings. Or we could throw net-carbon-footprint concerns to the wind and pave streets with light-colored concrete to create that reflective feeling.

Research and science, as documented in the 2013 white paper “Unintended Consequences, A Research Synthesis Examining the Use of Reflective Pavements to Mitigate the Urban Heat Island Effect,” sponsored by the Arizona State University National Center for Excellence for SMART Innovations, tells us myriad factors influence UHI effect. In fact, there are cases where reflective horizontal surfaces increase the temperature of vertical surfaces near them, thus adding to UHI effect and speeding our descent into a global warming spiral of doom.

During a webinar the National Asphalt Pavement Association (NAPA) assembled for the topic Oct. 15, one researcher said, “We have to appreciate the complexity of various designs.”

In other words, porosity of pavement contributes to its cooling attributes. Smaller aggregate within a pavement design speeds its cooling. White-washing a million roofs in Phoenix merely reflects heat energy to Tucson. And so on.

Why should this concept come up in this year’s “State of the Sustainable Industry” issue of AsphaltPro? To be honest, I wish it didn’t have to. But there are city planners within the United States who are panicking into believing the way to “cool” a planet is by painting surfaces a reflective color.

In the words of a Men in Black character, “A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky, dangerous animals, and you know it.” Setting aside the obvious panicky example of toilet-paper hoarding that took place in March, let’s look at the less-publicized example of city officials currently signing onto the Global Cool Cities Alliance.

Now, I’m not saying the act of joining an alliance that states it’ll be “easy” and “cost-effective” to make all the world’s cities have solar reflective urban surfaces is as asinine as stapling money to clouds to solve the current cycle of a planet’s global warm-up, but we’re trending toward idiocy with the concept of painting all horizontal surfaces white. Follow me here.

By the time people figure out what a mistake reflective painting is, we’ll have a drain on the electric grid trying to cool buildings located within any-degree-angle of the painted surface. California already has rolling power outages; what’s it going to be like when the cities of Los Angeles, Oak Grove and Sacramento, which are three of the seven (at press time) that have signed onto the GCCA, need extra power for air conditioning? Where is this endless supply of power to counteract the reflective surfaces going to come from?

It makes my head hurt.

While the asphalt industry can swoop in and the save the day at some point in the future by sealcoating, chipsealing or overlaying the paved surfaces with black products to solve the reflective problem, it’s silly to create the problem in the first place. Why let city planners make a mistake of this magnitude? While, yes, asphalt can fix it later, I hate to sit back and watch people screw up the planet. I consider this my home. I like this place, even if it is going through a warm cycle.

And speaking of home, I want to wish everyone a safe, happy and healthy season as you travel home or stay-at-home for the holidays. May the promise of this season bring you peace and joy. I wish you a Merry Christmas and a safe and prosperous New Year!

Stay Safe,

Sandy Lender

December 2020 • Vol. 14 No.3

asphaltPRO

602 W. Morrison, Box 6a • Fayette, MO 65248 (573) 823-6297 • www.theasphaltpro.com

GROUP PUBLISHER Chris Harrison chris@ theasphaltpro.com

PUBLISHER Sally Shoemaker sally@theasphaltpro.com (573) 823-6297

EDITOR Sandy Lender sandy@theasphaltpro.com (239) 272-8613

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AsphaltPro is published 11 times per year. Writers expressing views in AsphaltPro Magazine or on the AsphaltPro website are professionals with sound, professional advice. Views expressed herein are not necessarily the same as the views of AsphaltPro, thus producers/contractors are still encouraged to use best practices when implementing new advice. SUBSCRIPTION POLICY: Individual subscriptions are available without charge in the United Sates, Canada and Mexico to qualified individuals. One year subscription to non-qualifying Individuals: United States $90, Canada and Mexico $125.00. For the international digital edition, visit theasphaltpro.com/subscribe/.

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