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https://theconversation.com/a-push-to-cool-australian-cities-may-inadvertently-increase-our-skin-cancer-risk-unless-we-act-245744>
"Picture this: you’re working from home and it’s sweltering outside. You
venture out for a coffee and move between patches of shade as you go. Good
thing you wore your sunglasses, because the glare of the new footpath almost
blinds you. You order your coffee – make it iced – before hurrying back to your
air-conditioned paradise.
If you live in an urban area in Australia, chances are this scenario resonates.
Our cities are becoming ever hotter – due to both the way they’re built, as
well as climate change and the extreme heat events it brings.
But the design and management of our cities is changing. In particular,
reflective materials – such as light-coloured footpaths and roofs – are
increasingly used to bounce solar radiation (and heat) back into the
atmosphere, to reduce temperatures on the ground.
Efforts to cool our cities are welcome. Heatwaves are Australia’s most deadly
type of natural disaster, and severely affect our quality of life. However,
these measures may have unintended consequences. Light-coloured materials
reflect not only heat, but ultraviolet (UV) radiation. This type of radiation
is the dominant cause of skin cancers.
Our new research shows UV exposure is rarely considered in urban planning
policies. Unless the problem is addressed, efforts to cool our cities may
exacerbate a serious public health problem."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
