Heat-proofing: How the US does it smartly
With most countries in the world affected by global warming, many US cities are trying to implement apt methods of keeping their cities cooler.
As American cities continue getting hotter, the people who live in them have begun efforts to heatproof their homes and neighborhoods, along with baking, this weekend.
These are attempts made at trying to stave off the impending rise in global temperatures that have taken effect worldwide.
The number of extreme heat days will rocket across the US, according to a new climate change report which predicts hundreds of cities experiencing month-long temperatures above 100F (38C) by 2050.
Roughly 80% of Americans live in cities, equating to around 262 million people.
Cities are almost always hotter than the surrounding rural areas, thanks to the urban heat island effect.
These heat islands are caused by numerous factors, such as trapped waste heat, concrete structures and pavements absorbing the sun and tall buildings blocking the wind.
All of these components contribute to air temperatures in cities that can be up to 22F hotter than neighboring regions with less urban development.
Tree planting in Phoenix, Arizona
According to local health officials, 172 people in Maricopa County lost their lives to heat in 2017.
Affluent neighborhoods can finance trees themselves, often have air conditioning units, and are less likely to use public transport; whereas residents of low-income areas are more likely to work outside, use public transport and generally are more vulnerable to the heat due to their lack of economic resources.
The region is one of the most heat-vulnerable areas in the US.
To combat this, The Nature Conservancy (TNC) environmentalist group launched a program, which aims to bring equality among the city’s population, to engage communities in tree planting in order to provide cooling shade to vulnerable residents.
"We are creating green corridors around the city," says Maggie Messerschmidt, urban conservation program manager at the TNC.
TNC is starting by targeting low-income neighborhoods where urban heat islands are more prevalent due to these areas having fewer open spaces, more concrete surfaces, and fewer trees.
Shaded parking in Austin, Texas
This Texan city has been working for a number of years to fight the heat. For all but one day this past week, temperatures in Austin hit 100F.
Once humidity is taken into account, Austin's summer weather is even more intense - with temperatures feeling closer to 110F.
80% of the trees have to be large shade-producing varieties from a designated list of native shade trees, and be planted within 50ft (15m) of parking spaces, along with 50% canopy coverage in all car parks by 2030.
The idea behind providing a specific list of trees is to ensure a diversified and sustainable urban forest, as well as preserving native species.
Cool roofs in Albuquerque, New Mexico
In Albuquerque, the difference in temperature between rural and city areas can reach almost 10F at night.
Climate campaigners have been advocating the use of white-colored roofs in order to help mitigate the heat, as a traditional dark roof can reach temperatures of up to 150F, and can be up to 50F hotter than white roofs.
Donna Griffin, a member of the Sierra Club's New Mexico chapter, changed her flat black roof to white and says the difference has been "amazing".
Another tactic is implementing "green roofs" - plants and gardens on top of roofs that use vegetation to help trap heat in a process called evapotranspiration.
Although this has been championed by local scientists and urban planners, it has yet to make it into city policy.
"We don't have a citywide policy on using green roofs," says Kelsey Rader, sustainability officer for the city of Albuquerque, reports BBC News.
"But we have adopted a roofing specification for all city government building roof contracts to require a reflective roof."
Stopping sprawl in Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is among the fastest-warming cities in the US, warming more than 5.76F degrees since 1970.
In the car-centered city, pollutants contribute to temperature rise but are also made worse by heat which can make air pollutants more toxic and leads to smog.
Vegas is implementing alternative transport options to try to break the cycle between heat and air pollution by creating more open spaces and increase bicycle routes by 450 miles.
The city has developed new standards for planning to reduce urban sprawl.
Almost all of the city's vehicle fleet run on alternative fuels and electric charging stations have been installed at a number of garages and community centers for public use.
The city's "Master 2050 Plan" aims to extend public transportation routes, prioritize renewable energy vehicles and make bike and pedestrian facilities more accessible.
White streets in Los Angeles, California
The concrete jungle of LA gets up to 6F hotter than the surrounding desert, according to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
With plans to cool down the city by 3F by 2030, one of the tactics is using a light-colored material over one street in each of the 15 council districts to reduce heat emission from the heated-up concrete roads.
The material is known as "cool pavement" that reflects, rather than absorbing, the heat, which effectively helps to keep the streets cooler.
On the hindsight, it is more expensive and doesn't yet meet safety standards for wider, busier streets in the city.
One of the demos of "cool street" in Canoga Park measured 70F shortly after being laid, as opposed to 93F found on a nearby intersection road.
City officials also hope the cool pavements will help cool the insides of nearby buildings and lessen air pollution.