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Heatwave relief: What can hot countries teach us about keeping cool?

(Reuters, 19 Jul 2022) From sunshades to white roofs, and cooling payments to checks on the vulnerable, here's how hot countries deal with heat risks

As global warming - driven by our use of oil, gas and coal - spawns more deadly heatwaves worldwide, what can newly sweltering countries learn from heat-hardy ones about ways to stay cool?

With the mercury soaring this week, from Europe to Asia to the United States, here are a few ideas:

THINK WHITE

We know that white clothing is cooler on a hot day - similarly, using light-coloured roofing material or painting roofs white can help hold down the heat inside buildings.

In steamy Indonesia's industrial buildings, "cool roofs" are being used to drop indoor temperatures for workers by up to 10 degrees Celsius (18 degrees Fahrenheit), heat experts say.

In hot South Asian nations like India and Bangladesh, painting roofs white is becoming far more common too, particularly in neighbourhoods where many residents struggle to afford air-conditioning or the power bills to run fans.

It could also be time to ditch sweltering black tarmac surfaces. During the summer Olympics in Tokyo last year, the marathon route was covered in light-coloured reflective paint to try to keep temperatures bearable for runners.

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Reuters, 19 Jul 2022: Heatwave relief: What can hot countries teach us about keeping cool?