How America's hottest city is trying to cool down

[@Vox]

Thanks for watching and commenting! Quick note for those saying desert cities "shouldn't exist" ... that's a very tempting thought, one that I admit I shared when walking around Phoenix in August, but keep this in mind: Heating uses more energy than cooling. I think cities with frigid winters are older and more established in the US so we think they're normal and assume their right to exist but walking around Chicago in January is as painful (maybe more?) than a Phoenix summer. We can't all live in San Diego, so rather than condemn entire cities in the west, it's more helpful to think about how we can plan, adapt, and re-design to make them more sustainable and livable in the future. -joss

[@jacobbwalters8133]

I’m so glad that you commented on this! What do you have to say about the water issue argument with regard to the trees? I’m sure that you researched it before making this video and I’d love to hear your take.

[@theabrahamherrera]

This doesn’t account for the large amount of water this region uses and diverts from the environment. As things get drier, water will become a much more important and expensive resource. People don’t drop dead in the hundreds due to the cold. They do due to heatwaves. Also, by 2050 it is estimated Chicago may have the same climate as Georgia, whereas arid regions will only get drier.

[@TSZatoichi]

As others have pointed out, trees are a great idea, as long as you have the water to maintain them, and right now, Phoenix doesn't have that water.

[@TheCelticboy21]

As someone who lives in San Diego, y’all hiring?

[@levisaidmyname]

Get that women some shade! Love the reporting.. but I feel like it felt just a little tone def not to stop and get her some shade 😅 likeee it would’ve demonstrated a really important point too I think.

[@Wasserkaktus]

I've lived in Phoenix nearly my whole life. When I finally bought my own house a few years ago, I decided to plant several trees in what little yard I have in order to lower temperatures. The result is, my yard is literally several degrees cooler, plus since you can grow tropical AND temperate plants in Phoenix, I grow my own peaches, mangoes, guavas, Barbados cherry, pomegranates, almonds, grapes, and bananas, among other annual plants like squash.

[@RcsN505]

No local species though? Not super eco-friendly perhaps?

[@Wasserkaktus]

@@RcsN505 I have native species for xeriscaping too (the front yard is xeriscape since it gets the most solar exposure), not to mention drip lines to water the plants which saves far more water than sprinklers. The main trees that provide canopies for the yard are mesquites, which are native and are probably the main tree to be used in greening Phoenix, as well as shoestring acacias, which are native to Australia but are extremely drought tolerant and thrive here. I've thought this out very, very carefully.

[@PatrickAndFriendsPRO]

wow. how big the yard?

[@Wasserkaktus]

@@PatrickAndFriendsPRO Only around 10k sq. ft.: I just use space efficiently.

[@46Bax]

I lived in Belgium my whole life but for some reason I would want to move to Phoenix. The city looks so organized, the roads are straight lines so driving there must be so relaxing, the temperature seems pretty cozy as well

[@LemonToGo]

Also, biologically speaking, trees do not only cool through shade. Trees "sweat out" water at the leaves in a process called transpiration. It cools the air around the leaves.

[@altobonifacio8936]

Yes, it's a phenomenon called transpiration, that's how the amazon forest work for example, the agglomerated trees regulate the temperature by releasing humidity on air, thus, creating massive rain clouds.

[@morgansheepman2403]

Trees also absorb sunlight prevent it from entering the soil which also cools down the area

[@Ifumsa]

as a phoenix resident humidity is terrifying, would that raise humidity levels?

[@mariachi3217]

@@Ifumsa yes but would (maybe) drastically reduce heat

[@Ealsante]

@@Ifumsa If there are enough trees for you to feel the humidity, we will have bigger and more amazing concerns than sweating.

[@lakesideparkplace]

It’s suppose to cool off after the sun sets. the ground shouldn’t hold heat in the desert. But Phoenix stays hot all night long because of the concrete

[@backyardbraaapn1017]

Partially true, not really though

[@BlackKnightsCommander]

@@backyardbraaapn1017 oh, it's surprisingly true. When the humidity is low especially, as the water won't absorb much of the asphalt's heat. I've walked onto sidewalks one or two hours after the sunset where they're still hotter than the ambient temp.

[@danielontiveros99]

And asphalt

[@FunnyAnimatoFilms]

For some perspective, I live in Tempe, this past June we were getting daytime highs over 115, and it would drop to 100-95 at night.

[@Josh_Fredman]

I can vouch for that! I was passing through Phoenix one night, right around the end of September. I was tired so I pulled into a truck stop on the west outskirts of Phoenix to sleep, but it was 95 degrees outside despite being about 4 in the morning. I was only able to sleep for about an hour in that heat. I decided to drive on, and realized that the temperature dropped into the 70s once I had cleared the area.

[@Lemonz1989]

People don’t seem to realize city design in the US is atrocious, which contributes to this problem. Many are sprawling, sparsely populated, and have way too many large roads and giant parking lots, and are quite frankly, unsafe for pedestrians, children and cyclists. You need a car or public transportation just to go on a grocery run - it’s ridiculous. This makes most of the city unproductive with regards to income and tax revenue and expensive to maintain, causing cities to run a budget deficit just to maintain basic infrastructure. Good old fashioned city design with modern innovations where shops and people live next to each other are comfortably walkable and can produce enough revenue to maintain itself, including its trees and parks. No need to make people pay out of pocket for projects the city deems necessary, like this tree project, because it can’t afford them. Walkable cities also produce natural shade.

[@grug199]

car companies built a lot of cities in america but also destroyed many. one prime example is detroit

[@lucasmoka3529]

Amen

[@Sumanitu]

And then there are cities like Portland, which already aren't nearly as sprawling as older cities in the east, midwest, and southwest. And they work to make as much of the city covered in greenspace as possible. Yet we still saw 2 days straight of 115F temperatures last year. Climate change caused by carbon emissions is the major villain here. The whole Vox video is just talking about attempting to mitigate damage which shouldn't be happening in the first place

[@brianbeecher3084]

Zoning laws are a major culprit here, as only about 12 percent of US landscape is easy to navigate without a car. Most folks in "the other88" realistically have no choice but to drive. Much of this can be laid at the feet of zoning laws which prohibit any housing other than detached single family homes or the occasional luxury condo project from being built. I recently stated that sanitariums and rooming houses are two things from our past that need to be brought back. The former to address lagging mental health concerns; the latter to begin to address the nagging and worrisome housing shortage and homeless issues.

[@Lemonz1989]

@@Sumanitu Sure, the weather isn’t going to change, obviously, but that’s not really the point. The point is that the quality of life will improve immensely, with the side-benefit of the city having better finances.

[@ShreyasBharadwaj]

Love the constant drone camera shots to reemphasize the sheer dryness of the street. As someone who has walked on these streets regularly in peak summer, it’s hard to explain how terrible an experience it is.

[@LuthienNightwolf]

I lived in Phoenix in the 2000's, and took the bus everywhere. Which meant a LOT of walking on those hot streets. I miss the desert scenery but not the heat.

[@danieldurfee4901]

Yes! Its miserable. Having 120 degree heat beating down on you from the sun above, and 140 heat radiating up from black asphalt, its a feeling you can't possibly explain to others.

[@bre6825]

The smell of melting asphalt and the radiating heat

[@aegaeon117]

I walked from the i-17 and Glendale avenue to Scottsdale Road and Indian School Road in July 2010, it was a memorable experience but, I wouldn't call it terrible.

[@larrymcjones]

I don’t know how you guys do it. Love from New Jersey

[@plshelpalistair]

Citizens: “Please we need trees” Cities: “Sorry, did you say parking lots? Because I’m pretty sure you meant parking lots.”

[@jsplit9716]

It's the zoning laws that mandate shops to have huge parking lots.

[@racon4884]

@@jsplit9716 made by who

[@CC-si3cr]

@@racon4884 Preach! "made by who"?

[@bruhmoment49293]

@@jsplit9716 Yeah and laws can, and should be changed.

[@fallon7422]

@@bruhmoment49293 lawS can and should he changed. NOT BY IGNORAMUSES LIKE THIS WOMAN AND PPL WHO AGREE WITH HER.

[@siddharthbelwal8981]

Yup. Same situation in LA, the rich neighborhoods like Beverly Hills are covered in trees and feel relatively cool even when it’s really hot, while poorer neighborhoods like in south central have no trees and feel like an oven at the same temperature

[@zkvn]

I agree with literally everything you said

[@Amitdas-gk2it]

Man u r right

[@gabrielvanlalruata2528]

poor people should plant more trees than

[@Horus070]

@@gabrielvanlalruata2528 there is a different mentality that isn’t necessarily of poor people, but people that don’t have common sense. I’ve seen an exemple where trees were planted in poor neighborhoods and some individuals go and destroy the young trees sometimes out of pure joy … Ive seen it in videos ! But other than that… the lady on the video mentioned the truth… it’s not their priority and many being renters they don’t really care.

[@kaustubhakash4218]

@@Horus070 Yeah I agree, and I feel like its more of the thing that "Oh I'm not gonna do much with my 1 tree planted" cuz realistically that 1 tree isn't gonna contribute much. If its made compulsory that everyone has to plant 2 trees. then yeah that would be so much more better. But then again this is LA we talkin abt. Idk how rich you are, mostly everyone lives in apartments and don't own the private land or property to plant trees. And if you living in apartments then lets be real, you're not gonna go outside plant trees. Cuz yeah its the right thing to do but do you really think that humans would do that, especially ones from LA?

[@mattdc02]

I live in San Jose, CA. Here each and every tree between the road and sidewalk is owned and managed by the city. Individual homeowners cannot touch them. It is nearly impossible to have them removed. It works, there is lots of shade and it provides value to everyone.

[@DKMetcaIf]

San Jose isn’t hot at all compared to Phoenix

[@bimaandilahaba2420]

Wow you live nearby American Kickboxing Academy

[@MAYBEE90]

Same in NYC. Every tree planted in front of our homes are owned by the city and cannot be touched by homeowners. They’re also maintained well by the city. Unbelievable that other cities don’t operate that way

[@israels841]

@@MAYBEE90ik right you would think the us would have enough money for that

[@thefeof6161]

​@@DKMetcaIf maybe thats because of all the trees

[@annaeeee7516]

As a Phoenix resident, I applaud you for raising awareness about the issues here and how poverty and the heat island effect are correlated. It's still shocking to see how different the west and east side are when it comes to tree density. I also applaud you for walking in the middle of the day in 112 degree weather. I hope you drank lots of fluids!

[@matthewaldrich69420]

I work in Tucson Az in the heat tell me about it😒😒

[@St3v3NWL]

Yeah maybe don't live in a desert? Really kicking in an opendoor here😂

[@chadcarl7554]

@@St3v3NWL yeah dude it's that easy, why don't they all just up and leave?

[@St3v3NWL]

@@chadcarl7554 exacrly, just abandon the place

[@carlossantacruz1320]

@@chadcarl7554 idk if you remember but income/poverty has a lot to do with it

[@diegovasquez1622]

As a Phoenix native it would be really great to plant trees, but the problem now is water because we’re kind of running out, but maybe planting mesquite or palo verdes will help? They don’t really shade as much but they kind of help

[@dbclass4075]

Better little of things than nothing at all.

[@noahhenderson3164]

I'm pretty sure planting water dependent trees and what have you in a desert has ALWAYS been a water problem. And y'all and your government have been ignoring it for decades

[@AlicedeTerre]

If you're interested in growing your own trees and plants look up Brad Lancaster in Tucson, he's been working on water harvesting techniques that allow for incredible vegetation growth with only rainfall.

[@RcsN505]

Yeah this piece misses this very important point; it is *not* eco-friendly to plant green lawns etc and many of those big trees that require a lot of water - this is the sonoran desert! I wish they had talked about other initiatives

[@thezenarcher]

@@julm7744 the incentive is cooler surface temperatures from the shade they provide.

[@Nextraker]

I hate not being able to walk my dog till after sun sets here in phx

[@hugostiglitz3633]

I feel you bro 😕

[@trulyka5534]

Holy I used to watch you when I was a kid

[@SK438]

Buy your dog some shoes. I'm serious, it's a real thing that you can buy.

[@foodtastesgood8579]

Move

[@ILovefood92]

Noooo

[@Dovietail]

Every parking lot in Phoenix should have a solar panel shade structure over it that is both gathering energy AND shading all that parking lot cement.

[@brianjonker510]

But why would Americans do things that make sense.

[@AK-yv1kp]

@@brianjonker510 whos gonna pay for it?

[@aaaccc7173]

@@AK-yv1kp I’d happily pay for it through taxes if it meant there were less heat-related deaths, especially since children and the elderly are most affected by it. Interesting to see that you don’t care about children or the elderly!

[@larkinpaul]

@@AK-yv1kp your mom.

[@AK-yv1kp]

@@aaaccc7173 Im not saying I'm against it, I was trying to say that having solar panel shade over every parking lot is infeasible. These ideas sound good in theory but are impractical

[@ooogyman]

The drone footage was incredible. Did you see how wherever they walked they seemed like they were in the middle of nowhere? Who would want to walk there unless it was absolutely necessary? If anything, we should be encouraging walking not just with sidewalks and trees, but reforming zoning laws which encourage construction of denser, multi-use structures built closer to those sidewalks, and more reliable mass transit.

[@Ugly_German_Truths]

wouldn't it even be better if anything like multi condo appartments, shops and public buildilngs would need to build collonades as sidewalks (so first story is throwing shade over the ground level walking area behind pillars), keeping a lot of sun away from everybody that is walking around? Seems not possible for one person homes and such, but in the denser inner city area it would make sense for any new construction to have such structures.

[@craigman7262]

Quite unnecessary if you ask me. While its cool shot it didn't capture the issue at hand. Yes it captures that PHX is a concrete jungle but those spaces are commercials areas and the issue at hand is residential areas.

[@melanieyu894]

Fun fact, the drone shot is easier to do than one would think. It's a very easy to program thing that's literally just called tracking and is a function on many commonly used drones. On the comment on the design issue, I agree with the bulk of what you said. The whole design of the city doesn't work. No one should expect a couple plants to solve an urban planning disaster.

[@dlazo32696]

Nah, we love our suburban homes. It’s the American dream. Keep your tiny apartments Randy.

[@Wasserkaktus]

@@craigman7262 Commercial areas are important to shade as well: Zoned areas aren't on their own separate islands, you know: It's more like a large urban ecosystem.

[@FGbigbilly]

In my city, in Ontario Canada, the city requires that detached house have to have at least one tree and you need to submit paperwork if you want it cut down since the tree is considered the city's property. Makes neighbourhoods look nicer and feel cooler I guess

[@mohammedsarker5756]

@@julm7744 toronto can get pretty hot in the summer, this idea that Canada is an ice box is really only accurate to the northernmost regions, where the least people live.

[@Aphrx]

@@julm7744 Definitely not as hot as Phoenix, but summer is also definitely longer than a month, especially nowadays. I barely need to wear my winter jacket for more than 2 months.

[@Zaihanisme]

Who then bears the cost of maintaining that tree, Brian? If the burden falls on the home/landowner, then it still doesn't solve the issue highlighted in this video, does it?

[@tiacho2893]

I think I am a fellow resident of the city and didn't read down before I made my comment. Yeah. Our city would be unlivable without the number of trees mitigating heat and pollution. But the same applies as in Phoenix. The poorer areas of the city have fewer trees and have higher percentages of undeveloped brown fields. And those houses are mostly renters too. So the same cost/time issues apply. The city does make effort that every public park regardless of location includes trees as part of the design.

[@TheBeenu98]

@@Zaihanisme it falls on the city in most cases. At least here in my Ontario town all of the trees are city property and if you’re a home owner and want to take down a tree you have to go thru the city

[@duprie37]

I live in Melbourne Australia and although it's nothing like Phoenix we do get occasional heatwaves with temperatures over 40°C/105°F. 13 years ago we planted a London plane tree in the west facing front yard just for looks, but now it shades the whole front of the house in summer and the difference inside on hot days is just amazing. A massive bonus we never even expected. Trees are awesome!

[@environmentalnews6040]

Simple solution, yet so effective too. Nature is the answer, not man-made.

[@environmentalnews6040]

I've always wanted to do an event like for Earth Day, to unplug all our electronics either for an hour or 24 hours. Electronics are so evil, and everyday they are creating more, whether it'd be Apple phones, or wearable tech like Oura ring.

[@environmentalnews6040]

*I meant Apple watches.

[@alyssa_arellano]

I’ve lived in Phoenix my whole life and we had like one tree in the area so it was HOT. I remember going to flagstaff for the first time and being amazed by the cool weather and the amount of trees. The heat never dies down and it’s harder to keep cool.

[@nataliefontane]

Flagstaff's elevation is way higher than Phoenix's. That's why it's so much cooler there.

[@Cinnamontoastcrunch1029]

@@nataliefontane it’s a pretty big difference in temperature change for a pretty short drive

[@Bestever-qt2kp]

@@Cinnamontoastcrunch1029 because it’s higher elevation................. it’s also an 2 and half hour drive, not that short

[@titomister10]

Elevation makes a huge difference

[@ThatGuyDownInThe]

I lived in Phoenix for a year, went to Prescott once, immediately knew I had to move out here and then did. Been in Prescott for a year now its amazing.

[@Icantthinkofaname267]

The fact that the hottest city in the U.S is called "Phoenix"

[@TheSFMCreators]

May I say your profile photo fits the bill quite nicely, too

[@taquitoxiq1444]

Phoenix

[@addicted2oreos]

Phoenix is not the hottest city in America. Gotta go SW a bit more to Yuma, AZ.

[@NickLetsom]

We just call it that because it's ritualistically burned down and rebuilt every few years for thematic reasons.

[@addicted2oreos]

@@BanterSage Furnace Creek has a population of 100 ppl lol that's not a city big dog!

[@ScottAndNumbers]

As someone who has lived in the Phoenix metro basically my whole life, she is 100% correct on the water thing. Planting a ton of trees will just create a new burden as it would then require a ton more water. We need to find ways to create that shade that doesn't involve increasing water usage. Cause this is the desert. It is not meant to be as green as the rainforest.

[@TellurdogIsayhi]

Yeah that’s the main problem i see with all of a sudden planting heaps of trees.

[@xolotlmexihcah4671]

The solution to that problem is to plant trees that are native to the Sonoran desert (the Mezquite tree is one perfect example). They require fewer amounts of water, and unlike the non-native trees they will be beneficial to the native animals and insects. *Avoid planting tropical trees!*

[@ScottAndNumbers]

@@xolotlmexihcah4671 Planting native species isn't going to help as much as people want to think. If you actually go out into the desert around Phoenix, out into the more native areas away from human tending, there isn't much foliage beyond cacti and desert shrubs. If you want to actually make a native landscape, it will do not much at all in terms of shade. Again, this is a desert. Not the rain forest.

[@pumpkin3.1415]

The other problem is decreasing the amount of lawns. Perhaps the city could induce tax breaks to those who don't water their lawn as much, and instead plant trees as trees don't need as much maintainance as lawns

[@boboloko]

@@ScottAndNumbers it’s the Sonoran desert. One the wettest deserts in the world. Palo verdes and mesquites can do pretty well during droughts

[@MichaelChengSanJose]

Whenever I visit Phoenix and surrounding areas, I’m surprised at the lack of shade trees, especially around commercial and retail centers where lots of customers would appreciate those trees. Sure, there are mesquite trees all over, but they don’t provide any shade.

[@RealEngineering]

This is the best Vox video in a while. Amazing work

[@HiSpeeedLoDrag]

Lol this video is terrible and ignorant. The city does not have the water reserve to even operate at its current water consumption levels.

[@kevinfoster2163]

Agreed. They didn’t go on a diatribe

[@JakoWako]

@@HiSpeeedLoDrag Seriously. I’m in the southwest and I’m laughing at how tone deaf this is. We’re afraid of Lake Mead drying up and this lady wants us to plant trees in deserts?

[@thefirstpage4629]

This video was garbage and extremely inaccurate. Stopped listening to the woman tell lies at around 2 minutes.

[@serge6730]

@@JakoWako Planting trees will not be sustainable with future water shortages. However, she did do well showing how much worse the impact is for low-income neighborhoods (imagine how much more they have to spend on AC too). Phoenix is one of the top places in the country for golfing, which is an obvious contributor to shortages.

[@ChuckFranco]

8years living in Phoenix now, coming from the Philippines. After buying our house, we really invested in planting lots of trees to help with the heat. It definitely helps.

[@nemumami]

Just a random question from a mainlander Filipina! Is Arizona really hotter than the Philippines? Me and a bunch of friends from AZ always banter which country has it bad with the heat waves 😂

[@ChuckFranco]

@@nemumami technically AZ is hotter BUT it’s dry heat. Pinas on the other hand is humid sticky heat which feels 100 times worse even tho it isn’t hotter temperature wise compared to AZ. I’d rather have AZ heat any day

[@ShortHax]

Anyone else trying to mentally convert the huge Fahrenheit temperatures to Celsius in their heads

[@hoinoobs6070]

yes

[@suqmaddiqq]

Thankfully they included the Celsius with the Fahrenheit

[@rjung_ch]

It's deadly hot is what I figure...

[@read500]

No. I live in America

[@mrpw1402]

Freedom units

[@arivantart7944]

03:45 yooo that transition is legit!

[@geganerd3]

Born and raised here. I remember my house always having orange and lemon trees in the backyard. My dad planted a giant tree in the front too. I never thought as to why it always felt cooler on my property than it did in my friends dirt lot backyards until now.

[@chazzbranigaan9354]

You never understood the concept of shade until just now?

[@daisymartinez8280]

@@chazzbranigaan9354 i think they meant as like the whole house being cooler

[@antunnutna2376]

wasnt it logical.

[@west_3333]

@@chazzbranigaan9354 no, the shade isn't enough, if you had a big parasol or a tent providing shade, the heat would remain the same underneath tree leaves absorbs the heat and give shade altogether so the difference of temperature is significantly lower under a tree than under any tissue

[@mrcat1043]

@@west_3333 the sun wouldn’t hurt on your skin, and there is some heat reduction, but mostly yes

[@ImDemise2023]

I live in Mesa, AZ. I was born and raised here, and even though i’ve spent my entire life here so far, i can tell you, i am NOT used to the heat. You’ll often hear Arizonans say they’re used to the heat, but that’s not true. Every year, the summers here feel hotter and hotter, and since we’re a valley, the heat gets trapped within our “bowl”, that is our beloved Arizona.

[@Cinnamontoastcrunch1029]

lol I’m used to the heat. Maybe it’s because I had to walk to school in 120 degree weather. Also maybe it is just me but I feel like it’s getting cooler for some reason

[@shap7296]

Dry heat is nothing compared to humid heat

[@11Darksonic]

Hi!!!!!

[@Parzzyval]

@@shap7296 it's not a competition of 'suffering'...

[@shap7296]

@@Parzzyval just saying it’s not that big a deal Arizona isn’t that hot compared to humid heat where you can actually drop dead from being outside

[@MrHantz101]

I seem to remember reading that the Phoenix area has more golf courses than the whole of Scotland. So thats a lot of grass to maintain, just for people to avoid it.

[@pattishannon7012]

Many communities can no longer support their golf clubs and with millenials having to work 3 jobs just to get by, very few younger folks are golfing. It will be interesting to see how it plays out over the next couple of decades. They are currently building new mini slums with tiny detatched houses about 5 feet from one another. Easy to break into, cars collectively parked in un protected, uncovered lots. With new warehouses popping up all over with low wage jobs, this is the only way many will ever "own" property. It's sad.

[@eb.3764]

They need to turn those courses into wildflower homes

[@xavvi]

The golf courses use gray water and statistically speaking are a relatively tiny fraction of the water usage in the area. The bigger problem is agriculture in the state of Arizona.

[@thomasgrabkowski8283]

@@pattishannon7012 Golf is most popular among retirees, and Arizona, along with Florida seems to be 1 of the most popular retirement destination

[@AnakinSkywakka]

And a number of them have been left to rot.

[@Gigachad-mc5qz]

How to cool a city: ban cars, invest in public transport, convert roads to pedestrian only areas amd plant trees. Trees cool down coties a lot since they evaporate a ton of water, cooling down the surface

[@jacobbwalters8133]

I think we are overlooking the fact that Phoenix is located in a desert. There is a severe water shortage that is only going to be exacerbated by Phoenixes new tree planting programs. Having lived in both cities, I think that Phoenix should take a close look at the policies in Las Vegas. No city maintained unnecessary grass, no watering of yards during the day, and many more shade structures (including for bus stops).

[@BadassBikerOwns]

Phoenix should just plant cactus and succulent plants, anything else is unnatural and too water-intensive.

[@GTAVictor9128]

Agreed. Grass requires a lot of water and is thus very unsuitable for warmer climates.

[@jacobbwalters8133]

@@BadassBikerOwns I agree, but cacti provide little shade or cooling effects

[@basedoz5745]

While any decrease in water use helps the water supply for Phoenix the amount of water used on these uses is extremely minimal. All outdoor municipal water use from the Colorado River accounts for a little less than 400k acre-feet a year. That includes pools, lawns, trees, car washing, etc. as you can see in the video the majority of people in Phoenix don’t have lawns or large useless green areas. If anything we should be looking to conserve water from other uses to be able to plant trees and have public green spaces where they are needed. Agriculture in just California and Arizona uses roughly 5 million acre-feet of water every year from the Colorado River. Things like Almonds, Lettuce, Cotton, Alfalfa are big crops in these two states and are sent all over the country.

[@srs6461]

If Phoenix plants native trees then it won’t be a problem and the water shortage is do to inefficient agricultural use.

[@emilypeterson8817]

Now THIS is journalism. Evidence, storytelling, and a compelling message, without sensationalism or other manipulative tactics. Other news channels, take note pls…

[@ElihuNavon]

Haha, yes. Vox are quite good with making you think they have no agenda while at the same time being quite left-wing. Notice how the target the rich here…

[@LucaPizzoplus]

@@ElihuNavon how did they target rich?

[@anjildhamala4996]

@@LucaPizzoplus Additionally, how is targeting rich "left wing"? Do all the right-wingers earn upwards of 400k?

[@ElihuNavon]

​@@LucaPizzoplus Just because a graph shows a corelation between lower income areas and temperatures, doesn't mean the two are directly related. The reason these graphs are related is population density. They make it appear like the poor don't have any trees because of government neglect, and that the rich are all set with their trees - while infact, the government is doing pretty much their best to plant more trees there. Yes, rich people moved to areas with more trees, but that's just one of the fundementals of real-estate. More money, bigger land, more sparse and free space, more trees. (btw, grass is pretty much designed to be a 100% useless plant that only displays wealth.) Like I said, they are quites subtle with their intentions. So I don't blame you for disagreeing with me.

[@ElihuNavon]

​@@anjildhamala4996 No, and I didn't say that. It is known that right wingers are usually more ok with capitalism and the rich accomulating wealth, while left wingers are the socialist types. all for "taxing the rich" and universal basic income, etc. And Vox are known to be subtly left wing. They seem objective and scientific, which is great until you realize they often misread and bend information. Check pretty much all controversial topics they cover... They are left wing with an "I'm objective" approach. A good example will be their videos on the Israel-Palestine conflict. They tend to understate palestinian aggression and overstate israeli aggression. The left is pro palestine, the right is pro Israel (oddly enough)

[@samueldanby]

Everything this woman makes is so thoughtful. I'm a big fan!

[@Theg95693666]

As a guy , I agree

[@Subhrajyoti]

if u dont know she is the senior editorial producer

[@MommyShortlegs]

@@Subhrajyoti Wow really? That’s super cool!

[@astroboirap]

she should make some tasty noodles

[@fabionurmagomedov]

shes hotter than Phoenix

[@bxnjiijusticeforukraine7972]

I live in Phoenix and this is an amazing representation of the heat and offers a great story!! Thank you for creating this.

[@Khado819]

Same situation in Johannesburg, South Africa. Rich suburbs like Sandton and Rosebank have trees a lot of trees yet townships like SOWETO or Alexander have no trees at all. Mind you, these areas were racially segregated during Apartheid. In conclusion, it was very nice and interesting video, i hope to see another one like this again.

[@Oreosmilkshake]

Don't be a poor then, ez life

[@lorenzoblum868]

The carbon footprint of the military industrial complex and the diamond industry....

[@fynkozari9271]

How did America start a city where theres no water?

[@augustotto4312]

Then don't cut down the trees

[@lorenzoblum868]

@@fynkozari9271 which city?

[@grioulaloula8594]

The cement, roads trap heat in the Valley of the Sun. It’s literally 10-15 cooler in the desert (in the evening) than in Phoenix.

[@Jason_Bob]

That’s grossly exaggerated. When you look at the lower deserts, places like Yuma and lake havasu city are actually hotter during the summer than Phoenix. Obviously it’s cooler up north, because you begin to enter rim country

[@grioulaloula8594]

@@Jason_Bob I actually have to amend my comment and state that it is literally 10-15 degrees cooler in the evening when you are not in cement city (Phoenix/Mesa/Tempe/Scottsdale). The desert cools down at night and the cement/buildings trap the heat. It used to be lovely in the evening during the summer over 40 years ago but with all the city growth, not anymore.

[@Jason_Bob]

@@grioulaloula8594 although it is certainly hotter in the city, 10-15 degrees is still exaggerated. I would say more like 5-8

[@angelikaskoroszyn8495]

It's interesting how they recognized many causes for why they have such a huge issue with heat (suburbian sprawl, short buildings, ridiculously wide roads) but they decided to deal with only one of them. Greenery will definitely help (especially if it's supported by gov) but that's not enough. Now hear me out. Mixed development, walkable neighbourhoods and bicycle roads. Those will solve a lot of the issues Mixed development = higher buildings, more shade, more afordable housing No need for a huge parking place if you can walk to your shop / place of work / school / etc, right? Bicycle roads will give mobility for those who either can't afford a car or don't want to use it. Either way less co2 emission

[@talamuffy3094]

I love that idea. I have no fondness for cars but cities seem to be built for them. If there were bike lanes and bigger sidewalks with shade, it would be easier to walk or bike to where you need to go instead of drive.

[@adamt195]

@@talamuffy3094 only some cities. Mostly in the US. Even older us cities like Boston, DC, Baltimore, Charleston, were all built before the invention of the car. The streets are narrower and the city is more walkable. Phoenix did this to itself.

[@talamuffy3094]

@@adamt195 yea I was referring to the cities more in the west, I lived in nyc and it’s very walkable but I notice that cities like LA are really sprawling so you kind of need a car

[@KRYMauL]

@@adamt195 That's not true, a lot of the larger cities were demolished for the "Gilded American Dream." They literally destroyed Houston from looking like a cool city straight out of a Western to some weird sprawling city that forgets to put sidewalks and bike lanes in half the city.

[@carfreeneoliberalgeorgisty5102]

Car free cities are the future, or at least they should be.

[@jhfoever]

Production quality is great!

[@casmatt99]

Trees aren't going to matter when the Colorado River runs dry. Cities in deserts are simply unsustainable. Eventually, tens of millions will be forced to leave the American southwest and I fear that our government is not up to the task of caring for all these climate refugees.

[@peter-paulkutschlojenga7336]

just send them back to their own lands, what if they start stealing the jobs of hard-working people? State Citizens First!

[@PHlophe]

not all types of trees soak up gallons of water. there are enough tolerant shrubs and trees scattered across america. they usually select those that are easier to look after for cities . they just don't want to do for minorities neighborhood and you can't just decade to plant one.

[@casmatt99]

@@PHlophe I'm not talking about water specifically for ornamental horticulture though, there won't be enough water for all the people and services that they rely on. Effectively permanent drought will lead to constant severe water shortages, where prices will skyrocket and only the rich will be able to maintain what we consider a normal way of life.

[@Wasserkaktus]

And in several billion years, the Sun will get hotter and will turn the entire planet Earth into a hot desert planet that would struggle to maintain any life. Let's just not do anything because this is what is going to happen.... In several billion years.

[@stinsonjt]

Phoenix is actually a lot better off than Salt Lake, LA, Vegas etc. One of the reasons Arizona took the lake mead cuts hardest and earliest. It's a much more resilient state than others. Yes, it's very dry here, but the region is more capable of withstanding prolonged drought.

[@devynclaybrooks5338]

I got beef with Phoenix for the fact that they developed in a car centric way, because it could genuinely be one of the coolest (no pun intended) cities in America, if it had been built up and developed like cities in other arid parts of the world like North Africa, the Arabian peninsula, etc. but instead it’s arguably the most unsustainable city in America

[@Ronakvevo]

I'm surprised they don't have high rise apartments with central air conditioning like Hong Kong or a shade on the bus stop as a bare minimum.

[@devynclaybrooks5338]

@@Ronakvevo a lot of different factors play into that. The proximity of the airport to downtown means they can only build skyscrapers so high, the American model of zoning laws that only allow for single family detached homes in a good portion of the city, the obsession Americans have with driving leading to less density in favor of space for cars, which also results in less effort put into making cities walkable, and for cities to be walkable, they have to be tolerable (your comment about shade). Too many factors adding up to make Phoenix the unsustainable mess that it is today. Cities thrive because of walkability, and Phoenix has anything but that

[@Ronakvevo]

@@devynclaybrooks5338 it's so strange for me to see this in a developed country like USA.

[@geralferald]

@@Ronakvevo each city is vastly different from eachother in the US. Of course it did look bad in the video that again is one the poorest sections of the city. The fact that the example shown is basically our slums isn't too bad I feel. But we do have 3 major neighborhoods/zip codes/city sections that are very walkable and beautiful and the city is trying to make changes and has actually made a lot of progress so far.

[@devynclaybrooks5338]

@@Ronakvevo I take “developed” with a grain of salt lol. There are parts of the US that are developed, and then there are parts that are still in 1950. It’s my personal belief there’s no truly “developed” country, because the true pockets of developments are in cities, and even then it’s varied. San Francisco and West Virginia are both parts of the US, but opposite ends of the “development” spectrum. I try to use mature more when describing because developed in my head implies there’s little room for more development, or they’ve reached “the finish line”. Just my thoughts.

[@heyitsbranigan]

"One of the hottest parts of Phoenix" : 122°F "One of the coolest parts of Phoenix" : 110°F

[@Addisonmoreno]

It could literally mean the difference between heat shock and just discomfort.

[@catalinagomezroca6257]

yeah thats when i knew i am never visiting phoenix

[@dodododododododo8216]

It's not the heat, it is the humidity that kills

[@ayeshamuzaffar8599]

@cj budz barely

[@YevKassem6288]

@@catalinagomezroca6257 At least half the year it is delightful. I used to live in Scranton (yes, that one - NE Pennsylvania). No matter how hot it gets I'd never choose to go back to a REAL winter. The cold and grey takes an emotional toll that the heat simply doesn't, no matter how uncomfortable it can get.

[@skippingdown16thavenue]

I recognize this area and I can tell you guys from living here for all my life so far, I have seen dogs suffering, people wanting fresh air but you really can't go outside. We need to find a way to cool Phoenix down, but without ruining our water supply even more.

[@DireWxlf_]

Not gonna happen. It wasnt meant to be a paradise with all the amenities. Just like Vegas/Reno and big portions of Cali. In 10 years the west will be the desert it was always suppose to be. Leave it alone, and it will leave you alone.

[@h3cz_]

Move to Illinois, way better over here

[@lok777]

I have said it since I was a boy. It is time to build an air-conditioned dome over the entire city.

[@SwimmingBird846]

Get rid of the cars and the pavement. Job done.

[@jakeozzy4776]

Move

[@TacoAmigo777]

A possible solution for lowering watering costs would be to plant trees that are drought-resistant, like mesquites and palo verdes. Some water would be needed, but desert landscaping would lower costs significantly compared to a spruce or oak tree.

[@TacoAmigo777]

@@julm7744 Palo verdes are average compared to other trees, but mesquites can grow to large sizes and provide adequate shade. Our oldest mesquite is 18 years old at about 25 feet tall, but the one next to it is around 13 years old and around 30 feet tall with a very large shade area. Of course other trees can be much taller, but we don’t directly water those plants since they are on a decorative plot of land adjacent to our property. For lower income families, it would be ideal for them to choose those trees despite their average size. Shade is shade as long as trees are smartly placed.

[@TacoAmigo777]

@@julm7744 Money. Governments don’t want to spend unless they need to spend either through laws, public outcry, etc. Cities like Scottsdale, Chandler, and Paradise Valley have larger purses to spend a little more for nicer trees and develop areas more. Cities like Maryvale, Guadalupe, and central Phoenix don’t have extra money to choose a nicer tree or plant them in general because of other more important expenses. It all comes down to money and bureaucracy.

[@Jacob_graber]

Mesquites have extremely long taproots, they can go literally hundreds of feet into the ground, and they have a big impact on the height of the water table when planted in large numbers. Mesquites are considered an invasive species in Australia and this is one of the reasons - groves of them are drying up wells and emptying aquifers.

[@thetacoguyy]

Don't forget Drumstick trees ! Not only are they drought resistant, they are are famous for their medicinal powers.

[@serbansaredwood]

@@Jacob_graber not at all true. Plants help shade the earth stopping evaporation. The trees aren't the problem, groves are because that is monoculture. And they aren't invasive to Phoenix, they are native. They are supposed to be growing there naturally

[@jroth87]

There’s also that whole “water” problem they have that causes problems too. Phoenix and most the west and north Phoenix area are dependent on lake mead. I’m pretty sure fox did a whole spread on that issue recently too….there are ways to bring man made shade into areas though that require little maintenance. Trees are also low maintenance and desert flora doesn’t actually require much water. It’s the lawns that do

[@EC1997_]

Wrong. Phoenix gets most of their water from the SRP. Mainly from the verde and salt rivers. We don’t rely on lake Meade for water supply.

[@lyndagruen2047]

Bingo. If you want cooler temperatures, plant native trees from the Sonoran Desert: the Palo Verde or Desert Ironwood. Or Mesquites, which are also rather drought-tolerant.

[@dantes.4845]

Phx and lake mead? Yea you gotta be confusing another city,

[@user-vz2sy7tx3w]

they are actually currently taking care of this problem which is nice.. roads are being dug up and where we get our water from is gonna be changing... but its not from mead lol

[@mofo78536]

What about solar panels as shades?

[@alexabril4684]

As a Phoenix native that sun really can take a toll on you even just being out there for 5 minutes can make you sweat buckets

[@Thegravyipass]

This is why I moved away from AZ.

[@alexabril4684]

@@Thegravyipass I get it the heat is definitely not a thing to take lightly and I definitely plan to move somewhere colder

[@johnwalker1058]

I never thought I could be made to feel like I was getting my as& whooped by beams of light, but the summer sun I felt when visiting Arizona in a cross country road trip taught me that lesson loud and clear!

[@alexabril4684]

@@johnwalker1058 oh yeah a lot of people who visit aren't prepared for the intense dry heat it's like being baked alive as opposed to steamed in places with humidity

[@johnwalker1058]

@@alexabril4684 That seems like the perfect analogy: "being baked alive as opposed to steamed in places with humidity."

[@joshuabuchanan1141]

I dont like how the lady said its not a "priority" to provide trees to very hot cities such as phoenix, the city needs to have a responsibility to plant more and more trees to phoenix to provide so much shade from the hot sun

[@Cobra_Khan]

This is some of the most innovating filming & editing I’ve seen in a very long time. Kudos to the entire production team

[@qwikz28]

Pretty sure trees provide cooling effect through transpiration, but another idea is to provide some canopy to the parking lots with solar panels. Create some electricity and shade over the asphalt too.

[@thedwarfgimli5323]

Solar panels require a certain cooling to be efficient enough to use. Put solar panels over a surface that can just reflect heat back up into panels will make them essentially useless.

[@mrsugar7528]

@@thedwarfgimli5323 Bruh

[@adrien3976]

There are some places here that do this, but it's not as common

[@cyrilbaumann9383]

@@thedwarfgimli5323 if you put Solar pannels, the ground under them will be cooler. So it will not reflect heat to pannels...

[@ComicalRealm]

The problem with this whole climate change scenario is that 95% of population is suffering due to the greed, ignorance, and incompetence of the rest of the top 5% of people.

[@koketsok1513]

@@tomhappening dude why are you using a second account to hype up your main(dyslectic mitochondria),I have seen a few of your vids,they are not bad,but promoting your main channel like this is kind of lame,this is like thee 3rd time I have personally seen you doing this strategy.

[@zkvn]

Just like ur pfp lol

[@IeopardIimo]

I feel like robbing today hmm maybe a bank

[@Zerospacedude]

I’m pretty unconvinced that heat correlates to poverty. Many inner city areas are poor like that and don’t have a heat problem.

[@VonDelacroix]

Its an Arizona specific problem, and its only because grass is expensive and difficult to maintain here. I personally don't like grass, I prefer a more desert vibe, which is why I live in the desert, don't understand why you'd grow grass in a desert, especially when we're in a drought. But this 1 single example, it is technically true.

[@directordoodle6398]

There's a big problem with this: the amount of water needed to maintain non-native plants is not sustainable. Deserts cannot support leafy green trees (not in the long run, anyway.) Arizona already uses an unsustainable amount of water.

[@shaidzaman2437]

Use Neem tree...its good for birds and are used for shade in Saudi Arabia. Its not native to USA but it needs very little to no water. In my area nobody waters the neem tree it gets water from the rain

[@sunspot42]

There are native trees that provide decent shade and use very little water. And Phoenix is a valley surrounded by several watersheds with formerly large (now dammed) rivers flowing thru it. Parts of it were covered in dense vegetation. So they actually do have the water to support native trees, just not lawns, golf courses and swimming pools…

[@systemBuilder]

That's actually false - Arizona uses a sustainable amount of water at the expense of other areas of the southwest that are now much drier.

[@GlennDavey]

You stole the land in the first place, now suffer

[@Taudlitz]

there are plenty of arid enviroment friendly trees, also reuse of grey water like from clothes washing, showers, etc would provide enough water for the trees

[@jjmah7]

“I’d rather be dead in California than alive in Arizona.” -the mom on Arrested Development

[@kesa7669]

She should stay in CA then. LOL!

[@yeahright2022]

Yes, please stay out of Arizona. The California refugees are getting out of hand. Thanks!

[@kesa7669]

@@yeahright2022 I didn't say anything about refugees.

[@5frogfrenzy]

@@yeahright2022 lol, yet every summer the zonies come to trash our beaches

[@opheliavalentine6058]

@@5frogfrenzy nah that’s just everyone else from the country. Zonies know Cali beaches are overrated and Mexico has warmer and better beaches that are closer

[@olefella7561]

The fact that we get free short documentaries on KZbin by Vox is truly a gift 👍

[@EricaGamet]

They do accept donations... I pay a little most months because I enjoy their work.

[@t.g.i.f]

I don't understand why some are saying in the comments their water bills will increase if they plant a tree. Once a tree has reached a certain height, it doesn't need watering. It’s what a tree does. Its roots go down to reach the moisture below.

[@thomasrinschler6783]

For everyone bringing up the Colorado River in regards to Phoenix, the city actually gets most of its water from the Salt River and its reservoirs to the east of the city. Those sources are much more reliable than the Colorado and aren't shared with other cities.

[@aolvaar8792]

Mesa and PHX share the Val Vista water plant.

[@u-u-UU]

"Welcome to Phoenix, named after a mystical fire-type bird. Here we are famous for toasting and burning our residents like overtoasting a disgusting tuna sandwich."

[@ray.whitby]

We’re more famous for having a cool winter where everyone else is pitching down for a snow storm

[@SdM45]

@@ray.whitby That is the trade off for living in The Valley. The summers are brutal but wintertime doesn't involve digging your car out of the snow.

[@crustyspaghetti3749]

Tuna melts are good get outta town

[@Gold_Scales]

The camera/drone work here feels particularly novel, and does a great job illustrating the problems you're talking about.

[@AG-ne3rh]

Absolutely, such a well done video

[@jlitow2008]

I'm 38 and have lived in Arizona since i was 6 months old. I have lived in central Phoenix, Scottsdale, Mesa(where i currently reside), Gilbert and Glendale. I can attest to the considerable heat difference between areas like Scottsdale and other higher income areas compared to lower income areas like mesa and phoenix. I really hope they do follow through with creating more natural canopy. A lot of areas could really use it. Regardless of the heat i love this state.

[@Christ1an.11]

I thought Yuma was the hottest

[@environmentalnews6040]

What do you mean by natural canopy?

[@lowkeyyluis]

As a college student majoring in Urban Ecology, I really appreciate these videos! Thanks Vox.

[@LivinginArizona]

Completely agree with the idea of more trees. Especially in Phoenix. Drought tolerant trees like Elms or Palo Verde. But I don’t understand how this will eliminate poverty…. NYC has plenty of trees and many trees, same in Chicago etc… but yes more trees!!!

[@BlackKnightsCommander]

It won't eliminate poverty, but it will help people going through poverty by making things easier to deal with. They won't need as much AC if some trees/plants are maintained to help with keeping the ambient temp down locally. I live in Tucson, where it's about 5 or 10 degrees cooler on average, and the difference even just between my yard, where I maintain a number of trees, and my neighbor's, where she has a "desert landscape" yard that's nothing but rocks, is surprising, even out of the shade in my yard. I usually only need a fan except in the height of the monsoon season, where I run the AC during the hottest hours so both me and my dog are more comfortable even with the humidity. If I didn't have my trees for shade and ambient cooling, I'd probably need the AC year round.

[@johnmeraz7348]

I agree with having more trees to cool down but now there another problem. They need to be feed water and here in the southwest we are already facing a water shortage!

[@indyjoe6]

Extreme heat in Phoenix disproportionately effects those that live in impoverished areas because those individuals don't have the resources to plant and maintain trees. Trees significantly decrease surface temperatures. Planting trees will not eliminate poverty, but it helps ease their struggle. IMO Phoenix should really focus on basic infrastructure that will have an immediate impact first though, like the bus canopies. How do they have a bus stop, in an area that heavily uses public transportation, that does not have a canopy or some other type of shelter? SMH

[@cadian101st]

They are separate issues with vague correlations. The poor will be disproportionately affected by climate change, just as they would be disproportionately affected by recession. Would lessening the income gap help with climate change? No, and if you want to draw stronger conclusions the richer the country the more energy it comsumes

[@peaceful_chaos14]

It wont eliminate poverty, and thats not what she meant. It will help poor people save money and resources if their daily lives are not as much affected by the extreme heat as they are now.

[@michaeltribbet9213]

This is an incredible end super important piece. Everyone in the Phoenix metro area knows that living near downtown Phoenix is practically inhumane but not much has changed about it I’ve the 20 years I’ve lived here

[@sunspot42]

That neighborhood was in bad shape almost 50 years ago when my family moved to Phoenix. The problem is watering and maintaining landscape is expensive and the people who live there don’t have the money to afford it.

[@dominikaksiazek7177]

Why do people live there at all? I'm just curious, I'd prefer to move to a cooler, greener area. But it's my personal preference.

[@moneymatt1691]

@@dominikaksiazek7177 I’ve lived in Arizona, Indiana, Florida, and was born in Montana. The desert has the best year round weather in my opinion. Dry hot heat is better than the 110% humidity in Florida. The snow and mentally depressing weather half of the year in Montana/Midwest can get taxing on the mental status for sure. Everyone has their own opinion on living situation but I’ll take 150° over 0° any day.

[@chrisorr8601]

@@dominikaksiazek7177 car ownership of 20%. If you don't own a car, how are you ever going to be able to afford to just up and move

[@cowboybeboop9420]

@@chrisorr8601 By literally taking the train/bus/plane. LOL They just pack their stuff and go or they hire a moving truck (for furniture and stuff like that) and move to wherever. There are plenty of cheaper places in America that are also not in the middle of the desert. Frankly I don`t understand the point of building a city in the middle of the desert and then building expensive infrastructure to pump water to there. Why not just build the city where the water already exists.

[@luiscruz679]

The cost of maintaining a tree? gurl 🤦🏻‍♀️ you only have to water it and give it some plant food lol 😂

[@errhka]

In the words of my queen Lucille Bluth "I'd rather be dead in California than alive in Arizona'"

[@anactualfingbottleofranch747]

I love the desert and if I could be anywhere in the world I'd go right back to Tempe

[@AlexCab_49]

Funny, a barber I know told me that and her daughter also didn't like Arizona. And as a Californian, I'm grateful to live here.

[@gregphillips4900]

Many people are having that wish granted with the way California going.

[@andrewx2047]

And that’s why you guys living in California or getting f every way possible

[@bigtex1238]

I rather be dead in Arizona then alive in commyfornia. And by the looks of everyone leaving that state. I'd say over 1 million Californians agree

[@Phamtom009]

I wish new neighborhood construction kept more of the established trees in the area. They usually just chop everything down. :-(

[@rjung_ch]

It's sad and wrong, trees are life and the clean the air and cool down the area. It's not rocket science and yet many have no clue.

[@geralferald]

It's phoenix... we don't gave many trees in the first place.

[@Wasserkaktus]

@@geralferald You haven't visited the old neighborhoods in Phoenix. Joss even shows you some of them: A lot of them have huge eucalyptus trees.

[@M4ttNet]

@@Wasserkaktus ... and those aren't the ones being torn down to build new neighborhoods. Mostly new neighborhoods are built on old farms that are bought out and built on. So the whole premise makes no sense.

[@geralferald]

@@Wasserkaktus no dude I have seen them. What I was talking about when they tear down trees is before they start construction on old plots of land desert/farm land. Which I'm saying there weren't many trees there in the first place for them to cut down.

[@Debraj1978]

I am from India, where it is usually warm. But PHX is at another level. It is impossible to walk outside in July/ August in PHX afternoon. You would dehydrate and faint. But people in PHX still uses dryer to dry their cloths and not use the free (and ecofriendly sunlight) outside.

[@environmentalnews6040]

Great comment BTW. I wish everyone in the US would help and pitch in to save the planet, but they don't care. Rich people pollute the most by flying constantly.

[@environmentalnews6040]

I wish we could form a group to reduce pollution worldwide. It is an important issue that people need to rally behind.

[@LudV1X]

A few people in 60: "Let's build an enormous city in a desert covered by asphalt all over the place."

[@TheErasedGuy]

"This city should not exist, it is a monument to man's arrogance" - Peggy Hill

[@LisaFaiss]

Peggy Hill is not very educated. This city isn’t a modern invention. It’s thrived for millennia.

[@AlexCab_49]

@@LisaFaiss wut? The "city" only existed since the 19th century (Tucson is probably older) and only became the sprawling metropolis in the mid-20th century because of the AC. The whole "city" is built around the car and leaves peope who don't own cars out (lack of sidewalks and shade) in the rains, or extreme heat innthis case.

[@millerr8066]

@@LisaFaiss i’m sorry, Phoenix has been around for millennia? Last time I checked 140 years is not even close to that, and on top of that commonsense would tell you that a giant desert isn’t exactly a great place for a sprawling metropolitan area.

[@prime8nate]

@@LisaFaiss A handful of native Americans living in a more primitive and sustainable manner without everything paved over wasn't Phoenix. Plus, Peggy Hill is the smartest substitute Spanish teacher ever.

[@LisaFaiss]

@@prime8nate she might be a good substitute teacher, but she hasn’t studied sustainability. There weren’t 5 million Native Americans, but there was a reason they chose the valley. Three major River systems converge in the valley, draining mountains to the north and west, even into western New Mexico. They also repurpose our sewage effluent in Tres Rios. We use less water today than we did decades ago with far fewer people. Not to say there aren’t issues, but there are good reasons why this area was chosen as a city location.

[@wav3chaser]

Easily one of my favorite of Vox’s. Incredibly fluid editing, insightful host, problems + solutions. Great vid.

[@im-bored-help7983]

i live in singapore and i definately agree with growing more trees. majority of our roads have rain trees that are imported from who knows where and provide a lot of shade that is helpful as it’s always hot

[@crimsonify4418]

What's the song in 0:37

[@absamatYT]

@@crimsonify4418 its by swif T

[@smxtrixx]

This makes sense though... Thanks Vox!

[@ray.whitby]

As an Arizona native, we have large parking lots for all the snow birds that migrate down here for the winter

[@fourtwenty1813]

Snowbirds are the worst part of Phoenix and that's saying something

[@kesa7669]

Hmmm...I don't think that is why.

[@ray.whitby]

@@kesa7669 you don’t think so? Come down here during the winter and you’ll see what I mean

[@zachary4511]

See us mountain people say those are the valley people that come here for the summer not the other way around lol

[@ray.whitby]

@@zachary4511 lol! At least you guys get to snowboard in the winter. I’m coming up there soon

[@cancerino666]

Also have to point out: growing trees and grass in the desert is not reasonable either. You gonna run out of water eventually.

[@lawrence-yx1ew]

We are already running out of water here in the southwest. The Colorado is running dry. These coming decades are something I fear. I really don't know what's going to happen

[@fixieroy]

or plant trees that don't require a lot of water....

[@shoorveersingh]

You could plant trees that don't need a lot of water and actually end up cooling down the city. It's the grass lawns and golf courses that are a problem. Theu don't cool things down and gulp down a ton of water. Also agriculture that is heavily subsidized and not eco-friendly.

[@Wasserkaktus]

Lawn grass is not sustainable, trees are.

[@blahblah60]

Theres methods modifying the ground composition to retain water. The cities could allow people to collect monsoon rain also.

[@JulioLopez-jo5jn]

Phoenix native here, it’s a blessing to get anywhere from 95-103 degrees during the summer nights. Anything after 7am.. better keep yourself home

[@bryansu5824]

Dry heat definitely better than humid heat here in houston when it’s 100+ nothing you can do but go inside cause ain’t no shade gonna help when the whole city feels like a sauna lol

[@dinahmyte3749]

This is how I feel in Houston. There's trees but also not enough where we need them: along bus stops and side walks. No one CARES about your well-maintained lawn when everything else is sunbleached and dry... The difference between the shade and the sidewalk is like... 5 to 10 degrees when it's sunny out, at least to me. My bus stop near me isn't shaded and the grass area is full of ants and wasps. It's a very unfriendly environment to wait for a bus. Other bus stops are shaded but COVERED in ants, so we all wait in the sun... :/

[@marcusrobinson1778]

Houston is humid though. 100 degrees in the shade in the desert feels like a Houston 70

[@dinahmyte3749]

@@marcusrobinson1778 I mean, yes? Doesn't mean it's not helpful for a few degrees difference. The issues of pavement and lack of shade cover are the same in a lot of sprawling cities, of which I've lived in one: Houston.

[@kweli05]

It makes a difference. Atlanta is really good with the trees. In fact, it’s nickname is “The City in a Forest”.

[@softpiglet]

The lack of shade infrastructure happens a lot here in Louisville, too. I never noticed how big of a problem it was until I visited Taiwan in the middle of summer. Over there, basically everything has greenery and awnings, even in the largest city of Taipei. Even though the heat index hit 105F regularly during my stay, there was always shade. Summer in Louisville, even with the lower heat indexes of 90-95, is far more oppressive because you're in the sun most of the time.

[@utkarshsoin]

Editing, composition, information; everything was up to the mark! This is one of the most amazing video I’ve ever watched on Vox

[@TazTalksYouListen]

How about those first 2 seconds!

[@jeycalc6877]

too bad the substance is terrible, style over substance

[@TazTalksYouListen]

@@jeycalc6877 - But those first 2 seconds!

[@XaliberDeathlock]

Joss Fong is great. Loved her

[@vocaloid444]

Goodbye sweetie see you one day hopefully

[@MarcoGamer640Productions2012]

I live in Vegas, heat is constantly above 115 all summer. I feel you guys.

[@ian-hm6cx]

I've lived in Phoenix my entire life, and for the first 9 years my family really struggled, where we lived was one of the dark blue zones on the poverty map, and it was unbearable to play outside because of hot even just the air was. I moved to a house where my school zone was one of the richest in my district, and most of my friends were very well off. I noticed instantly how much more bearable it was to play outside in my friends' neighborhoods where there was golf courses in the neighborhoods and the streets were lined with trees and green belts

[@dadmadforgot4050]

Wow can’t imagine living in that kind of relentless heat. Coming from northern England it’s sounds like a nightmare. People make jokes about the uk weather but I would never change it.

[@KeepTheCoffeeOn]

It’s honestly not as bad as people make it seem. Lived here 32 years. Planning on moving but it’s not because of the heat.

[@ZedEditz31z]

@@KeepTheCoffeeOn About this, I was bored recently, and decided to Google top 10 hottest states. States like Florida, Texas, Louisiana, Georgia etc. were high on the list, and Arizona was near the bottom. I'm assuming because it's mainly Phoenix that's unbearably hot, unlike other states.

[@dadmadforgot4050]

@@ZedEditz31z I go to Florida on holiday (vacation) a lot! Now that is heat. The first time I stepped off a plane into a Florida summer I couldn't believe a place could be so hot!!! HUMID!!!!

[@charlesalwyn3486]

I am working on the subject of energy justice in Phoenix for my capstone project at the University of Arizona and I really enjoyed this video. The other issue with planting trees in South Phoenix is monsoon season storms are quite violent and they impact South Phoenix in a major way…we lose so many trees from July-September so new trees must be replenished annually. It’s a viscous cycle.

[@thatprettygreencolor]

Yes this!

[@Presssent]

Lol couple of weeks ago when we had rain, the palo verdes by Biltmore were on the road. Rip

[@gregoriomurtagian5347]

more than a viscous I'd call it a turbulent cycle.

[@LisaFaiss]

That’s fantastic Charles. Are you in the Sustainability program? I got a masters in urban and environmental planning about a decade ago and took some sustainability classes. The palo verdes and mesquites survive the storm pretty well. But I have a California pepper which is non native that sustains a lot of damage when the microbursts come through. Fortunately the downtown Phoenix neighborhoods get less pelted by storms, since the storm cells tend to hug the mountains.

[@Wasserkaktus]

Yeah I've lost trees to monsoon storms. What helps this a lot is when trees are grown close together, and they "lean" on one another in intense wind to avoid catastrophe.

[@cloudstrife7083]

very very good video we need more content like this on the internet keep up the good work

[@jaywise991]

Want to send my compliments to the team for this report. The gold standard, IMO, for investigative/ informative reports in terms of content & production is 60 Minutes. This topic of environmental sustainability and poverty alleviation nexus was 60 Minutes worthy. I wish 60 Minutes would cover similar stories. I was also delighted this report showed the win-win-win solution for this challenge is simple, cost effective and can be deployed in a short amount of time. My thanks and gratitude for the team putting this together. Looking forward to more reports on this very topic.

[@lts_Abdullah]

I hope my city, Riyadh, Capital of Saudi Arabia can learn from this insightful video.

[@zeitgeistx5239]

Gulf states would just throw money at the problem not environmentalism.

[@pqrstsma2011]

@@zeitgeistx5239 Riyadh has 6M people living 400km from the nearest water source.... other major Gulf cities like Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Doha and Jeddah are atleast on the coastline, where desalination is a viable option...

[@hobog]

I hope so too. Dubai is repeating the USA's worst suburban tendencies. Hopefully Riyadh's upcoming metro isn't also just a showpiece

[@AdamZollo]

All those people you see double parking aren't a-holes, they're just from Phoenix and never had to learn because they were always surrounded by empty parking spots.

[@ASAPFENIX]

Which makes it even easier to park in an empty parking lot…..

[@KSMaxiefan01]

I’m a student in Arizona from California and I parked badly for the first time in months. In California I would have had to fix my car and moved it because it would be taking two parking spots. Here I still had plenty of space on either side 😂

[@PasleyAviationPhotography]

2024 is set to be the hottest summer on record.

[@herrickinman9303]

That record will broken in summer 2025.

[@thisiscrazy4122]

European thank you for adding the Celsius conversion, I was about to google it.

[@naifalbaihed1230]

Anyone who isn't American is thankful.

[@kimsooyaaa6926]

Honestly, they just need to plant MORE TREES in the walkside... And also, why in tf did people think of building a city in the middle of a desert?

[@mycatiswaysmarterthanmosto8500]

Arrogance and hubris.

[@LisaFaiss]

It’s a convergence of three main River systems and has been populated by humans for millennia. The interesting thing people see when they get here is how green the desert is here. Mesquite, Palo Verde, creosote, and many grasses and wildflowers are natural to this desert and it is very green in Spring and during monsoon.

[@mohammedsarker5756]

urban sprawl.

[@Error_694]

This city shouldn't even be there. They're running out of water.

[@carfreeneoliberalgeorgisty5102]

Phoenix isn't really a city in the traditional urban sense, it's just a collection of sprawling car dependent suburbs looking for a nonexistent city. Same goes for most cities in the US Sunbelt.

[@justinreeves2696]

The population of the valley is skyrocketing!! I can’t believe how much has changed in my city over these past 12 years.

[@Guer0.]

It's getting more ghetto every day 😂

[@silveradols0021]

Don’t get fooled It’s the Californians bro gonna ruin it. 😂😂

[@Wasserkaktus]

You should have seen it in the early 90s: The last 12 years isn't that different.

[@dallasdynasty0077]

I live in Tucson and it's so much greener in Phoenix. We have nothing but cactus here it seems

[@bigfootwithinternetaccess2925]

I live in phoenix and I have heat tolerant and native plants all over my yard. I have 11 saguaros and they bloom every year and its lovely seeing them bloom! Always remember to use native trees, they will help a LOT with the water bill

[@zqpcydbfoqbdiehdj]

The government should give tax breaks for trees.

[@robertzumstein4431]

Native trees retain their moisture and dont dissipate it back into the environment Desert native trees will have thin narrow leaves Trees from climate regions (non desert) Leaves are thicker, wider, and they shed excess moisture back into their surroundings, Moisture laden air is harder to cool, because you are haveing to cool the water and the air, Get rid of the heat holding moisture and You will have cool nights, Desert trees are more like large bushes than trees, low to the ground, this way the shade the area above their roots and conserve on water

[@marcusjames8626]

Pretty interesting to see how a small change could have such a huge impact

[@craigman7262]

Yeah but at a big expense.

[@lorenzoblum868]

Talking about huge impact, the carbon footprint of the military industrial complex anybody?

[@Carlit0Tit0]

I don't think that would really be a "small" change...

[@pbyt3869]

Well no growing trees here is not good because of water storages

[@Racko.]

in what universe is any of that change a small change

[@SupaSupaKewl]

I think you should’ve spent more time talking about the amount of water needed to maintain these green spaces and trees. It’s not insignificant especially in water stressed areas like the desert. The evaporative cooling effect that the trees provide also should’ve been mentioned. A big part of why air temperature in these neighborhoods is cooler isn’t just because of the shade, it’s because of the water being evaporated from the trees and other greenery. It’s a bit ironic to combat extreme heat caused by climate change you’re advocating to change the natural desert environment into a forest. This really seems more like a video about combatting the urban heat island effect but in an extreme environment like a city built in the desert. Climate change is important but these regions already have very extreme climate, hence the surrounding desert.

[@LisaFaiss]

You obviously aren’t from here. I have fifteen foot tall palo verde volunteer trees that I never water that started ten years ago from seed blown in or brought by a bird. I never water them and they are beautiful. Mesquites and desert willow are also indigenous to the area.

[@RealRiders]

@@LisaFaiss both shade and water evaporation are key factors in temperature reduction. Desert adapted plants are designed to lose less water during transpiration. People who can afford water will have a lawn, pool, and water hungry trees. That house will have the lowest temperature.

[@abbacadaver]

@@LisaFaiss true, but they should’ve mentioned that native plants are what deserts need, not leafy ones that require tons of water.

[@xavvi]

Unfortunately you're incorrect - it is VERY insignificant here compared to the benefit. Phoenix is perhaps the most advanced water conservation city on the planet and has done well managing their aquifers and water levels. The big issue in the state of Arizona is the amount of water that agricultural use takes, which is the overwhelming majority of water use in the state.

[@royalfragrance]

Lovely cinematography

[@bridget111]

As someone who grew up in Phoenix, I am happy to see this being brought to light. We need to remember Downtown Phoenix was purposefully developed as a segregated city where there were white-only communities on the north side of the train tracks. Sure a lot has changed, but there are obvious lasting impacts of this. I’ve heard of projects to increase the tree canopy using palo verde trees in downtown, but that just impacts business areas and museums… what about our concrete suburbs on the south and west sides? Palo verde, desert willow, and mesquite trees are great solutions because they require very little water and maintenance and they take up fairly little space. They provide plenty of shade despite being relatively small, shelter for native bird species, and are actually quite beautiful trees. I’d be all for projects to increase the walkability and shade. And speaking of parking lots, how many of us go out of the way for a semi-shady spot? Without the shade our cars become unbearably hot. Why not increase parking lot canopy and/or create more solar parking coverage like they have in Scottsdale? It would be great to have an update from Vox later on about what the city is doing about all of this… Great work!

[@Cahrub]

Being an Arizona native, I would LOVE if they would have more green leafy neighborhoods in the southern areas of the state, because places like Prescott and Pinetop farther up north are gorgeous. I'm tired of all these homeowner's associations forcing all the residents to live with dirt/rock yards thinking it makes us look more deserty and unique.

[@joelcrow]

Joss Fong is SO BEAUTIFUL!

[@namenamename390]

So, why did they decide to build a city in the middle of the desert in the first place?

[@parvezmahmood2137]

Good question

[@Y673._]

Because people are coming to Arizona more since it’s cheaper than California or like other states

[@alx8571]

Maybe they shouldn’t have slaughtered and displaced the Native Americans that lived there for thousands of years in harmony with the environment, but instead we continue to destroy the environment and the only people who seem capable of fixing it.

[@SugarWeasel1227]

@@alx8571 Lol the Natives have been warring with each other for years before Europe came. Slaughter, death, and genocide will happen no matter what.

[@alx8571]

@@SugarWeasel1227 The Native American Genocide is the largest in human history….that doesn’t “just happen”. Imagining dismissing the genocide of almost an entire race of people.

[@ConfalGaming]

Phoenix has the most parking lots I have seen. The book I love is Strong Towns which goes into the stupidity on designing cities only around cars.

[@Xanderall]

Joss is the producer, editor, animator, presenter (and Heaven knows what else!). Working at Vox means wearing a lot of hats!

[@mikej238]

We pay HOA fees to have neighborhood trees watered. Nothing is free

[@kourii]

Seems to be overlooking the whole water issue though… can't just plant a lot of trees in a hot, dry desert and expect to solve the issue

[@90AlmostFamous]

Plant cactuses

[@TheArizonawolf]

@@90AlmostFamous Cuz that's where we Arizonan's go to stand in the shade, behind a big ole cactus 🌵 😂

[@90AlmostFamous]

@@TheArizonawolf you either get cactuses, or no cactuses at all xD

[@DirtyFiST69]

Native trees take less water