How Coating Roads Could Help Beat the Heat

A pilot program in Phoenix, Arizona aims to cool the city by making the ground less hot.
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[@johncashwell1024]

It's worth a try, most cities are hotter than the surrounding countryside.

[@benqurayza7872]

Phoenix is a spread out car-suburban city with lots of asphalt and air conditioning. That worsens the heat situation. The reflective road coating is a promising fix, but today's Phoenix is the wrong kind of city for the hot, dry southwest.

[@SolaceEasy]

You haven't visited in the winter time...

[@desertrose7318]

Yup i wish they wouldo that in tucson and phoenix and south where i live

[@chadtep7571]

@@SolaceEasy it's beautiful and very comfortable from November through May.

[@davidpak271]

Would be good to know how long this coating lasts and what are the environmental effects

[@SolaceEasy]

Does this coating increase accidents? Decrease visibility of pedestrians to AI driven cars? Does creation of this coating affect marginalized communities near where it is made?

[@Zero.0ne.]

How long before tires make it black or wear it off? How often does it need recoating?

[@VR_Wizard]

And whats the cost? Would it be cheaper to plant trees instead which also absorb co2 and can be used as building material in the future. But more importend can streets be totaly eliminated and public transport be extended having even more positive climate effefts. Many variables to take into account even if costs for aircon are reduced saving money again which allows the coating to be applyed more often or in special areas where thee benefits are the greates.

[@JonnoPlays]

Coating roads has so many benefits. I saw another pilot program where the coated roads never decayed and didn't need to be repaved as often. Many things can be accomplished in this space for sure. Safety markings etc.

[@OGAngie]

That makes sense. Hotter roads expand and crack.

[@larrygraham4875]

Nova kicks butt

[@JonnoPlays]

Yuss

[@dannynyman9681]

I've been thinking about this since I was a kid back in the 80s when I lived in Phoenix. Glad someone is actually implementing it. Roof tops need this sort of thing too. Don't know why anyone picks black for a shingle color.

[@Athena621]

Roof tiles in southern hit countries are terracotta/orange. In India, they give free paint to people to paint roofs and roof terraces white. Not exactly a new concept I should wonder ...

[@DontFeedTheTrolls]

AZ is hell on earth.

[@engir63]

Back in the 90s I think it was there were people asking why streets are black why not add a dye, paint to them to make them white in locations where it is hot, desert states like Arazona, Nevada (where I lived at the time) asphalt does not need to be black they can make it black to retain heat in colder climates but there is no reason they could not make it white or a lighter color for desert states.

[@morthim]

it is black because it is gravel covered in tar and bittumen, which are black. this is also why as roads get older, they turn white. the tar helps keep the road together. could they paint on top? stretching the word paint a bit, probably. paint itself may mess with traction, but some colorant is likely viable. they would likely need to invert some road laws. like flipping white lines with black lines, so it is black lines on a white base material. the contrast of yellow median lines against white would be low contrast, so that would be a problem.

[@DineseBeckert]

Real question from a person that lives in Florida, USA. Apparently, it's been written into law, yesterday, that radioactive cancer-causing chemicals are now OK to put in road tar for new road construction. My thoughts on that? Water retention ponds around the highways? BIRDS Our water tables? PEOPLE?? What are your thoughts?

[@thepsychicspoon5984]

I didn't understand a darn thing you said in that last paragraph. You want to put birds in water tablets? What?

[@BabyRQ]

Great news!!!

[@itsmeagain5669]

here’s something far more natural: dirt roads, they also help control traffic & speeds

[@ionymous6733]

you should run for mayor with that idea!

[@itsmeagain5669]

@@ionymous6733 And they’re far cheaper to build & maintain saving tax payer money which could then be put into a project that would benefit the community.. see that ++ lol

[@mrgod2u701]

I've seen the Phoneix Valley when there used to be a lot of dirt & gravel roads... The dust in the air was worse than smog.

[@itsmeagain5669]

@@mrgod2u701 lol it is! I lived on a county road & had to keep the windows closed all the time bc it was like volcanic ash 😂

[@TheHadMatters]

Definitely an idea with a lot of limitations. Don't want to accept dust all over, not to mention deterioration on cars and back on the road itself, on faster or often-used roads. But if the roads are made with soft enough soil/round enough sand that they don't ruin cars and feet, but are still durable enough for car traffic with reasonable maintenance frequency, there's definitely a usecase for more roads out of soft surfaces. Needs to be very light dirt though, otherwise the original issue of the video wouldn't be addressed.

[@delorbb2298]

I was all set to watch a documentary and it’s over?! 🤣. Well done anyway.

[@alphacentauri7381]

Love Nova PBS, the best quality documentaries. Even shorter videos are amazing 👏🏼

[@mrgod2u701]

My family came to Arizona by horseback & wagon train starting in the 1840s; I was smart enough to leave by jet in the 1980s!

[@johndewey6358]

We should do it and save electricity.

[@RTSchramm]

I wonder how effective would this be if all of the roofs wre coated with the same material?

[@jonathanbronk7113]

Where the climate allows....plant more street trees that are large shade tree species and then provide the soil volume thry need to reach thier full mature size.

[@qman1434]

Non toxic of course! Safe for drinking water? Absolutely it is!

[@ronkirk5099]

Coating roof tops with reflective paint also helps, but unfortunately we will need to cover them with solar panels to provide us with green energy.

[@TheJWal]

Why would covering your roof with solar panels and creating green energy be unfortunate?

[@SansNeural]

@@TheJWal Maybe he means the panels would, unfortunately, absorb rather than reflect heat energy. Which is true.

[@walterulasinksi7031]

Installing solar panels over the. Streets, could shade and cool the streets and provide enough energy to power the city, thus making the need for fossil fuel plants a thing of the past. And lowering the atmospheric temperature even further as CO2 is reduced.

[@scarpfish]

Umm, no.

[@noanyobiseniss7462]

They will get around to the inner cities somewhere about 2150.

[@ziziroberts8041]

Rooves, too. There's a new special white reflector paint coming out. Legislate affordable prices for weapons of mass cool-down. 😎

[@sentiencepsn2714]

Great. Something new to leech into the water supply.

[@kevind814]

How about laying down flexible solar paneling covered by a strong clear protective coating. Send that energy to a local EV charging station.

[@scarpfish]

Because that whole solar roadways crap was nothing but a grift.

[@janie7242]

If it works then will be a great improvement! What's else we can do? We should have other methods as well! Keep searching! Best of luck!🤔

[@Lexfrederick08]

I'm curious about the effects this may have on wildlife, especially birds.

[@GeckoHiker]

I'm in the Ozarks. We expect 106 degrees Fahrenheit tomorrow. Our house is built into the ground, and I'll start a small fire in the woodstove in the morning to get the inside temperature to 68. All of our animal housing is also earth sheltered. If we were in Arizona, I'd use ancient desert windcatcher technology, too.

[@ArinWillis-oo3mf]

Yes by using a inertial heat dispenser by thermal law we cannot disperse heat by traditional means a large heat ventilation system would be the right choice

[@arthurledezma9003]

Gosh, guess I’d better get chains on my tires! ❄️

[@GodzHarleyGirlStudio]

ANYTHING THAT HELPS ASAP!

[@akoment2375]

the downside is, when too sunny it will blinds the drivers from shiny and bright roads that could cause accidents. i rather stay on asphalt for safety and who cares if roads are hot, it jus roads. if they want to prevent those heats, should covered whole lands also

[@dwardodwardo643]

What if Sterling Engines were used to capture the energy?

[@morthim]

sounds like some easy money. i hope you do it.

[@johnedward5520]

wild that people would live in a city in the desert and complain about the heat, sheesh

[@21972012145525]

I don’t live in the desert but I still complain about the heat

[@carolepuleo1307]

2 and 1/2 º not much of a drop in Az……still puts us way over 100º

[@MrLoobu]

Everything people invent is a bandaid for a problem someone else invented lmao. If only we had the normal ground again 😆

[@danni1993]

If it directs the heat off the road. won't the air become warmer?

[@Isabella_MRP]

think of it this way; the greeks paint their houses white so it's less hot.

[@danni1993]

@@Isabella_MRP ☺

[@SansNeural]

It depends on the wavelength of the reflected light and therefore depends on the reflective material. Look up "infrared window". Heat energy inside that "window" of wavelengths can radiate right back out into space. Anything else tends to be absorbed by the atmosphere.

[@ThrashmIO]

I would have liked it if they had addressed lines and markings for the coated roads. Since bright colors on a surface get harder to see if their character gets brighter. If you were to switch to dark-colored versions, it would make them harder to differentiate between at night unless you did something like dark color with a bright color border.

[@celebrityrog]

NO. Get rid of CONCRETE AND ROADS and start planting GREENWAYS, trees, grasses and shrubs that are both drought resistant and heat resistant. The ground will become cooler and so will the surrounding air. Why can't Phoenix understand a small village in the desert like it used to be is okay but not a major city like now.

[@tigweldNY]

I really envy you for how blissfully ignorant of how hypocritical you are.

[@tigweldNY]

sacrifice your own benefits from all this technology you don't agree with and then talk to us. but you won't.

[@superspecialty5169]

It’s a “beginning” but 2 to 12 degrees less is still looking at being very unhealthy! 😳🤔🙄🙃

[@lena-mariaglouis-charles7036]

Something is better than nothing.

[@lcbrittain]

And would that also include phasing out air conditioners?

[@johncarter1150]

Phuk Phoenix... Get out, let it burn.

[@Faraz70]

Why not plant trees?

[@mmane257]

concrete jungles.

[@arthurledezma9003]

All that expense for cooling only 2*? Geez, I’m gonna have to put a sweater on!

[@lena-mariaglouis-charles7036]

🤣 Thanks for making me laugh - I needed that!

[@arthurledezma9003]

@@lena-mariaglouis-charles7036 any time!

[@SolaceEasy]

What's in the goop? Hope not some biocide...

[@doggedout]

This is such a simple idea that has been obvious for decades *along with roof tops. Why has it not been done by now? They make a uv resistant white paint for propane tanks> I painted my roof with it. Dropped the summer temps in my house by at least 10 degrees. Stopped my AC from running constantly when it is over 100. Humans are dumb.

[@dannynyman9681]

Can you remember if it was Van Sickle or Rustoleum (the paint you used)?

[@TheHadMatters]

I think it's because the difference isn't that big, so the issue had to get big enough for the difference to be worth it. Rock is still a material that absorbs a lot of heat, even if less of the light is absorbed.

[@spj4188]

Made me feel like I was watching an infomercial. "We can substantially cool down... cities without major expenditures" This is BS. Infrastructure projects always have a hefty cost. If its a good investment, then so be it but don't make it seem like this stuff will come cheap. Roads will need to be recoated periodically. What happens to the chemicals? Is the coating safe for the environment?

[@kerrylane8101]

What about the green house effect most of the heat radiating out is still going to be trapped in the atmosphere thus raising Temps world wide. There is no benefit

[@rickyal9810]

Negative. You want reflective surfaces like this. Similar to the polar ice caps, they reflect light energy and some, not all, but some, will leave the atmosphere again. Black surfaces trap the heat which is exactly what you don’t want.

[@TheHadMatters]

By the time it's locked in the road, the city is stuck with the heat, and the planet is stuck with the heat for a long time until it's all radiated off. If you directly reflect the light, you This isn't an effort that will reduce climate temperature significantly, but it will help cool down cities.

[@TheCommunicationCoach]

Every surface should be white, or a light-shade of it. It's stupid to have all-black roofs and roads everywhere.

[@lindalw1163]

Why not try and STORE the energy to heat homes in winter? There are so many clever people I am sure they could do that too

[@carlruffier3092]

How about we start by fixing the infrastructure in these city before we coat broken roads.

[@chattyw87]

Yeah but how does this coating affect road safety? Completely pointless if cars aren't able to break on these surfaces or drivers get glare like looking at the sun when looking at the road.

[@Cheka__]

Why not spray the coating on all the land in the world. We could reduce global warming by 2.5°.

[@johnedward5520]

so it would be 102.5 instead of 105? how about just dont live in the desert if you cant stand the heat? lmao people are crazy

[@TheHadMatters]

Do you think no places that use air-conditioning should be populated? If these 2.5 degrees are cheaper (over the lifespan of the coating) and less environmentally impactful lowering the temperature through air conditioning, then clearly this method is better than that. And since air conditioning gets more energy-intensive with each additional degree, that's actually fairly likely. You're right that deserts shouldn't be overpopulated. But "if you can't stand the heat" is dishonest framing. They can stand the heat, they just prefer investing a little to lower the heat. That on its own doesn't make their decision to live their flawed yet; too many other factors to consider.

[@johnedward5520]

@@TheHadMatters I absolutely agree with you. I am just saying, it can be expected to be hot living in a desert.

[@IsaacConejo]

Can we now learn about any potential solvents etc and their impact on ground and municipal water systems. ?? Come on guys let's not just start installing lead drinking water pipe again. Or was that just an advertisement....?

[@kfreedom1444]

2.5 degrees…… for how much? And reports show it’s hotter for people who walk on it due to heat being reflected back. Stop wasting taxpayers’ money!

[@Mooooty]

Great....lets add more chemicals into our environment....what could go wrong?

[@danam0228]

Or you could discourage growth of cities and encourage people to not reproduce. It's the population explosion that has occurred since the industrial revolution that has caused most global warming issues

[@floridanews8786]

Well because of the Brandon cartel our taxes are high enough I sure hope they don't pass this to, every 7 trillion dollar bill day pass the $10 goes towards what it's supposed to be for and the rest of the money goes right into their pockets.

[@SeeTheManipulation]

*There are technologies that exist right now that would solve most crisis in third world countries. But they will never see the light of the day because it was predicted to be so.*

[@troy3456789]

All of the most murderous dictators in history have the solution to all the problems for everyone else. That is the prediction we can bet on and win every. single. time.

[@stevenwendellnelson8861]

I am delivering a sermon to you 🙏😊 please read Consistently Pray for forgiveness, guidance in a good (positive) direction, and for help against evil. Pray to be saved from hell (whatever that may be). Pray for your friends and your family too, it only takes a minute or so/less at a time to pray. Do it and your life will slowly get better, or maybe quickly. It probably just depends on you and the kind of person you are/have been. Don't wait until its too late and you have to suffer the consequences of built up bad karma from immoral acts/unrepented sins. Maybe together we can help make the world a better place by changing ourselves for the better, and changing things around us for the better. And addressing/thanking the CREATOR OF THE UNIVERSE, LORD GOD at the beginning and end of your prayers would be a good idea. Be my friend and I will pray for you, but I do not know how much help me doing so will give you. You should try to practice daily prayer yourself. I'm trying to help you get right with the LORD 🙏 Amen. I have worded a short prayer for you to say if you are not sure what words to use, it may not be the best but here it is 😊 '' CREATOR OF THE UNIVERSE, LORD GOD, Please forgive me and my friends and my family for our immoral acts, please help guide us in a positive direction and please help us against evil. Please save us from Hell and have mercy on our souls. Thank you for everything CREATOR OF THE UNIVERSE, LORD GOD. Amen. '' Please say this at least once a day for at least a month, do it longer if you want to and can 🙏 You should prostrate yourself if you don't want to do spoken prayer, or do both 🙏😊 Please worship the LORD GOD and not any idol. Please put your hands together 🙏 bow your head and say this prayer: "CREATOR OF THE UNIVERSE, LORD GOD, please know that I worship you and not any idols. Thank you for everything CREATOR OF THE UNIVERSE, LORD GOD. Amen" 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏 Say ' Om Namah Shivaya ' out loud or in your head 108 times, or try to do it 1008 times 😊 try to do it everyday if you want repeat this aloud for as long as you want to, try to do it for like an hour a day or say it in a prayer "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner" You can also say this prayer once a day or repeat it aloud as many times as you would like to: "Hail Mary, full of grace. The Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death, Amen." Thessalonians 5:16-18 "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." Philippians 4:6-7 "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." "O Blood and Water, which gushed forth from the Heart of Jesus as a fount of mercy for us, I trust in You!" Repeat this aloud at least 3 times or as many as you want, do it everyday if you can I apologize for all the words 😊 I know how it may look If you can't remember the words to any prayer, pray the words as you read them until you can