{"id":110975,"date":"2024-05-29T19:20:19","date_gmt":"2024-05-29T13:50:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/?post_type=current-affairs&#038;p=110975"},"modified":"2024-05-30T15:21:51","modified_gmt":"2024-05-30T09:51:51","slug":"urban-heat-island-effect","status":"publish","type":"current-affairs","link":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/current-affairs\/urban-heat-island-effect","title":{"rendered":"Urban Heat Island Effect"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/upsc-notes\/climate-change\/\">Climate change<\/a> has led to a rise in temperature and humidity, but the <\/span><b>growing urban sprawl<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> has also played a role in <\/span><b>heating up Indian cities, <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">which has resulted in the<\/span><b> \u201curban heat island effect\u201d.<\/b><\/p>\n<h2><strong><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\">Intensifying Heat Waves in Indian Cities<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Report by the Centre for Science and Environment: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The extreme summer months in Indian cities over the last two decades is due to <\/span><b>rising temperature, relative humidity, a rapid increase in built-up areas and concretisation and changes in land use.<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Consecutive Hot Year:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> This is the<\/span><b> third straight year of severe heat waves in India, <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">which have been far longer, over 10 days-long \u2014 this time than the usual four to eight days.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Study by the United Kingdom\u2019s Met Office: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">An earlier assessment said that the spell of record-breaking temperatures in India may occur every three years now instead of the previous time frame of about 300 years.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span class=\"vc_button\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pw.live\/batches\/upsc?utm_source=seo+upsc+batch&#038;utm_medium=seo+upsc&#038;utm_campaign=seo&#038;utm_id=upsc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Enroll now for UPSC Online Course<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><b>About Urban Heat Island Effect<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-111157 alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/untitled-2024-05-30t110203333-6658480f64456.webp\" alt=\"Urban Heat Island Effect\" width=\"400\" height=\"393\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/untitled-2024-05-30t110203333-6658480f64456.webp 1058w, https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/untitled-2024-05-30t110203333-6658480f64456-300x295.webp 300w, https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/untitled-2024-05-30t110203333-6658480f64456-1024x1006.webp 1024w, https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/untitled-2024-05-30t110203333-6658480f64456-768x754.webp 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Refers:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> It occurs when <\/span><b>urban areas witness higher temperatures than their rural surroundings.\u00a0<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Occurrence: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Urban heat islands result from <\/span><b>complex interactions between built environments, natural factors, and human activities.\u00a0<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This is mostly due to human activities, buildings and infrastructure in cities that absorb and retain heat more effectively than natural landscapes.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><b>Causes of Urban Heat Island<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Use of Heat Absorbing Materials:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Materials such as concrete and asphalt in urban areas absorb heat during the day and release it slowly, causing temperatures to remain elevated, especially at night.<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Buildings with <\/span><b>dark surfaces<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> reduce the albedo and increase heat absorption.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Inappropriate Construction:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> When buildings are built adjacent to each other, it limits airflow and creates heat-trapping spaces between structures, causing higher temperatures.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Absence of Greenery: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The absence of plants, trees, and green spaces in cities reduces natural cooling through shade, worsening the heat island effect.<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Less Tree Cover: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The lack of trees increases the risk of exposure to higher temperatures. In Indian cities, there are places with such poor density of trees as one tree for <\/span><b>50 people<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"3\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There are some places where it could be as low as one tree for 450 people. All these contribute to worsening the urban heat islands effect.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"3\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">According to a <\/span><b>2014 Indian Institute of Science report<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, the <\/span><b>ideal tree-human ratio should be seven trees for every person.<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-111158 alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/untitled-2024-05-30t110208265-6658480ed3fa0.webp\" alt=\"Urban Heat Island Effect\" width=\"400\" height=\"238\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/untitled-2024-05-30t110208265-6658480ed3fa0.webp 694w, https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/untitled-2024-05-30t110208265-6658480ed3fa0-300x179.webp 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><b>High Energy Demands:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Metropolitan cities have higher energy demands for things like transportation, industrial processes, and air conditioning, which release heat into the air, contributing to the urban heat island effect.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The air conditioners emit hot air which further causes more heat thereby having a <\/span><b>cascading effect.<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Transportation systems produce a great amount of heat due to burning of fossil fuel which is beyond the carrying capacities of incoming cool winds.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Presence of Pollution: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Urban heat islands have poorer air quality because more pollutants get trapped in the city. Warm water from cities also harms the quality of nearby streams, affecting the plants and animals living there.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><b>Effects of Urban Heat Island<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Health Hazards:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> This is a serious cause for concern as the heat stress continues to build, increasing the risk of heat-related illnesses and even death.<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It poses a grave risk to lives, especially among vulnerable groups like the elderly, babies, pregnant women, those who live in slums and work outdoors.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><b>Environmental Hazards:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Urban heat islands may contribute to <\/span><b>global warming<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> by increasing overall temperatures in urban areas and beyond.<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">They lead to <\/span><b>lower air quality<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> due to more pollution as a result of increased fossil fuel consumption and the pollution in the region makes <\/span><b>water bodies polluted.<\/b><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One alarming consequence of this is that summer nights now offer little respite from the searing heat of the day, with cities across climatic zones <\/span><b>not cooling down at the rate they once did.\u00a0<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Urban heat islands could<\/span><b> lead to temperature differences of up to six degrees centigrade <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">within a given area or neighbourhood.\u00a0<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"3\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This could change depending on the construction material used, the number of buildings around the area and the way it is built, the road materials that have been used and tree\/green cover presence and density in the particular locality.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"3\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Also the lack of water bodies can add to the heat effect.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Power Outages &#038; Increase in Energy Cost: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">All this also puts a strain on energy sources, leading to increase in energy costs and power outages when demand peaks.<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As per study of the Resources for the Future,<\/span><b> each 1\u00b0C increase in temperature raises energy demand by 0.5% to 5%,<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> depending on the local level of air conditioning penetration.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><b>Challenges that India Needs to Address<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Lacking Behind in Tech Adoption:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> India\u2019s tech adoption in weather and heat risk monitoring is improving but may not be at par with other developed countries that have sophisticated systems due to more resources allowing them to deploy more extensive networks and achieve higher-resolution data.\u00a0<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Example:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> While leading Indian cities have seven to eight India Meteorological Development weather stations on an average, a comparable city like San Francisco would have more than <\/span><b>100 weather monitoring stations.\u00a0<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Less Available Data:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> India\u2019s focus on weather has been more on water risk and security and hence have more granular data on precipitation, while heat is not a consistent part of the monitoring process.<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In developed economies, weather tracking is done by a variety of actors, from academic and research institutions to government bodies to the private sector. All of this rich data provides a much more nuanced understanding of scenarios.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Negligence in Enforcement:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> While more than 20 states have worked with the NDMA to create <\/span><b>Heat Action Plans (HAP),<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> most remain on paper. They are <\/span><b>hampered by a lack of funding, granularity and a sustainable vision for transformation.\u00a0<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span class=\"vc_button\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pw.live\/batches\/upsc\/pw-only-ias?utm_source=seo+upsc+batch&#038;utm_medium=seo+upsc&#038;utm_campaign=seo&#038;utm_id=upsc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Enroll now for UPSC Online Classes<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<table style=\"width: 99.8996%;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 100%; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000; background-color: #b8a5d987;\">\n<h2><span style=\"color: #000000; font-size: 18pt;\"><b>Are Heat Islands the same as Climate Change?<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Heat islands and climate change are <\/span><b>not the same, but they are related.\u00a0<\/b><\/span><\/li>\n<li><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-111159 alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/untitled-2024-05-30t110212584-6658480e0b33a.webp\" alt=\"Urban Heat Island Effect\" width=\"430\" height=\"273\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/untitled-2024-05-30t110212584-6658480e0b33a.webp 850w, https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/untitled-2024-05-30t110212584-6658480e0b33a-300x191.webp 300w, https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/untitled-2024-05-30t110212584-6658480e0b33a-768x488.webp 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 430px) 100vw, 430px\" \/><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><b>Differences:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Heat islands happen when cities are hotter than their surroundings, whereas, climate change is the long-term warming of the Earth due to gases in the air trapping heat.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #000000;\">While heat islands don&#8217;t directly cause climate change, they make cities hotter, which can make climate change effects worse.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><b>Concern:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Cities are getting hotter because of both heat islands and climate change.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #000000;\">As more people live in cities, the problem of heat islands gets bigger. This means cities will face even more heatwaves in the future.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #000000;\">So, while heat islands don&#8217;t cause climate change, they make it worse for people living in cities.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #000000; font-size: 16pt;\"><b>Case Study of Ahmedabad:<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><b>A Success Story:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> If there is<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">a success story<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">in heat tracking by an Indian city, it is certainly Ahmedabad, which turned a new leaf after the heatwave of 2010 which led to deaths of more than 2,000 people.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><b>Heat Action Plan:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> In <\/span><b>2012<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, Ahmedabad developed a heat action plan.<\/span><b>\u00a0<\/b><\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This initiative included the <\/span><b>deployment of temporary monitoring stations, satellite-based heat maps and early warning systems<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to identify areas vulnerable to extreme heat events.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The data collected from these systems is helping inform<\/span><b> decision-making and design interventions to mitigate the heat stress.<\/b><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #000000; font-size: 16pt;\"><b>Present Scenario in India:<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Now all over India, <\/span><b>more than 24 cities and states<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> are in the process of preparing \u2018heat action\u2019 plans demonstrating the value of <\/span><b>using technology-driven evidence and decision-support systems to tackle urban heat issues.<\/b><\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The<\/span><b> tech for mitigation is around building materials like cool roofing materials, reflective building materials, different varieties of paints, <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">apart from having vertical gardens, urban forests and green infrastructure. There is work going on in <\/span><b>several cities of Gujarat<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> on this issue.<\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<h2><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><b>Way Forward<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Sustainable Management: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The urban heat islands issue is an urban design and development issue, which needs to be looked at from a bigger lens of <\/span><b>economic policy, city management and sustainable living in cities.<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-111160 alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/untitled-2024-05-30t110218287-6658480c8d125.webp\" alt=\"Urban Heat Island Effect\" width=\"452\" height=\"305\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/untitled-2024-05-30t110218287-6658480c8d125.webp 1600w, https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/untitled-2024-05-30t110218287-6658480c8d125-300x202.webp 300w, https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/untitled-2024-05-30t110218287-6658480c8d125-1024x691.webp 1024w, https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/untitled-2024-05-30t110218287-6658480c8d125-768x518.webp 768w, https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/untitled-2024-05-30t110218287-6658480c8d125-1536x1036.webp 1536w, https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/untitled-2024-05-30t110218287-6658480c8d125-1568x1057.webp 1568w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 452px) 100vw, 452px\" \/><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There is a <\/span><b>growing consensus among experts that city-specific management plans (<a href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/current-affairs\/india-heat-action-plans\/#:~:text=Urban%20Heat%20Island%20Effect%3A%20Urban,amplifying%20local%20temperatures%20during%20heatwaves.\">Heat Action Plan<\/a>)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, which take into account local factors, are a far more effective response to heat waves. Such plans should prioritise green spaces and water bodies and target all heat generators, including vehicles, industries and concrete surfaces.<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"3\"><b>Example:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Ahmedabad\u2019s Cool Roofs programme, which offers an affordable solution for the urban heat island effect.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There is a <\/span><b>need to adhere to environmentally sustainable solutions like Green Building Code<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> which makes the building more eco-friendly.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-111161 alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/untitled-2024-05-30t110222773-6658480b72f63.webp\" alt=\"Urban Heat Island Effect\" width=\"503\" height=\"283\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/untitled-2024-05-30t110222773-6658480b72f63.webp 1400w, https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/untitled-2024-05-30t110222773-6658480b72f63-300x169.webp 300w, https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/untitled-2024-05-30t110222773-6658480b72f63-1024x576.webp 1024w, https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/untitled-2024-05-30t110222773-6658480b72f63-768x432.webp 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 503px) 100vw, 503px\" \/><b>Adequate &#038; Required Infrastructure:\u00a0<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Build Green Roofs: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These are an ideal heat island reduction strategy, providing both direct and ambient cooling effects. It also improves air quality by reducing the heat island effect and absorbing pollutants.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Build Green Infrastructure: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">By planting trees<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and other vegetation to reduce the number of greenhouse gasses in the region and increase the evaporation and transpiration thus keeping the region cool. They also keep the surroundings cooler thereby decreasing the cost of air-conditioning.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Light Colours of Buildings:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> It helps in less absorption of heat by<\/span><b> increased albedo<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and less heat retention.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Technological Advancements:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> In India, several tech innovations have enhanced weather and heat risk monitoring. And now, with AI, more advanced modelling techniques can be developed for weather forecasts which allow India to be prepared for heatwaves and other weather events.<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Example: Japan and China<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> are looking at cool pavements, where they are looking at light coloured paints, special coatings etc. that reflect sunlight and can help lower surface temperatures and mitigate heat island effects. Such innovations are being studied in Pune and Delhi.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Passive cooling technology<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is a widely-used strategy to create naturally ventilated buildings and can address the urban heat island issue.<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"3\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The <\/span><b>IPCC report<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> cites ancient Indian building designs that have used this technology, which could be adapted to modern facilities in the context of global warming.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Innovations:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> There is also innovation of running cold water through pipes all across houses and many other architectural-led innovations for heat mitigation.<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">India needs to incorporate heat-resilient designs based on factors such as<\/span><b> building orientation, location, materials to maximise shade, create green spaces, and promote natural ventilation<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> which all can help mitigate urban heat island effects.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Focus on Individual Health Impact: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The aspect of health tech is associated with heat stress, that is the provision of customised heat stress testing and customised alerts and medication based on vulnerabilities to heat or dehydration. This is not based on generalised guidelines but <\/span><b>on customised individual data.<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span class=\"vc_button\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pw.live\/batches\/upsc\/pw-only-ias?utm_source=seo+upsc+batch&#038;utm_medium=seo+upsc&#038;utm_campaign=seo&#038;utm_id=upsc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Enroll now for UPSC Online Classes<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<table style=\"width: 100.042%;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr style=\"height: 36px;\">\n<td style=\"width: 5750.73%; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000; height: 36px;\" colspan=\"2\"><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><b>Must Read<\/b><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr style=\"height: 30px;\">\n<td style=\"width: 54.4983%; vertical-align: middle; text-align: center; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000; height: 30px;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/ncert-notes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">NCERT Notes For UPSC<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 5696.23%; 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