I love these kinds of articles... Especially when they come from Kuwait Times. http://news.kuwaittimes.net/2012/06...-complaining-key-in-countering-heat-ramadhan/ KUWAIT: With the impact of modern lifestyles becoming more and more visible, and global warming ever more noticeable, we are surrounded by more complaining and frustration about the extremely hot weather, including in Kuwaiti urban areas. A more positive attitude regarding the issue comes in the form of a campaign adopted by a host of meteorologists and environmentalists in Kuwait who are promoting the motto, More tree planting, less complaining! to encourage people to plant trees to reduce the impact of the heat and the dust rather than just complaining incessantly about the weather. The get-up-and-do-something team includes Kuwaiti Meteorologist Eisa Ramadhan, who said that similar mottos have been adopted by their peers around the globe in an effort to in order to improve the environments in which their societies are living. He noted that studies showed that a single tree could match the cooling effect of up to 10 air conditioners. The expert pointed out what is called the heat island effect where over-populated cities are 3-120 degrees hotter than surrounding rural areas or uninhabited areas, especially at night and early morning. This, he said, is caused by the presence of man-made structures of concrete, cement, and steel which soak up the heat and store it for a long time, coupled with the absence of plant or other natural covers to neutralize the effect. Buildings, asphalt roads, parking lots, cars, factories and the like keep emitting heat well into the evening even after the sun sets, he explained. Regarding the effect of this phenomenon in terms of global warming, Ramadhan said that the effect is small because urban areas are very small expanses of land compared to the planets surface. However, there is a severe impact on human populations where it manifests, which is a big problem since the majority of the worlds population resides in cities. Studies also indicate that cities record less precipitation than surrounding areas where the heat island effect is present. This means that there is a direct link between the phenomenon and a citys rain-fall average. Regarding solutions, Ramadhan said that there is agreement on increasing plant-cover within cities. He added that it has already been agreed that taking measures to counter the effect of this phenomenon is a shared responsibility. Every person who has a home can plant a tree in the yard or in front of the house, rather than just build a fencing hedge, and that would make the city more tolerable. There is also the possibility of planting certain plants on the roofs of buildings which would reflect the sun and help purify the air at the same time by soaking up carbon dioxide and giving off oxygen. Ramadhan said that the US Department of Agriculture estimates that a single tree could cool the air as much as 10 air conditioners would for up to 20 hours a day. A tree also provides shade, which reduces a houses power consumption as well as reduces its gas emissions. The shade of a tree, studies also show, has a better cooling effects than shade provided by artificial structures due to the moisture produced by its foliage. He added that the shade of a tree is 11-25 degrees cooler than the shade of a man-made structure, and the planted roofs are also much cooler than cement or concrete roofs. Some US studies indicate that a big tree could emit as much as 400 gallons of water into the surrounding atmosphere, which goes a long way in cooling and humidifying the air, a most appreciated contribution particularly in summer. A middle-ground measure, he added, would be to use light-colored tiles and paint to coat buildings to reflect as much of the sun as possible in the day and guarantee less heat is retained to be emitted later in the evening, This measure is adopted and even mandatory in many cities around the world, Ramadhan further noted. KUNA
