Shade: The Promise of a Forgotten Natural Resource

Journalist Bloch argues in his mixed-bag debut that shade is a critical resource as temperatures rise. Focusing largely on California, Bloch explains how shade can protect people from sweltering heat while waiting for public transportation, improve productivity and save the lives of farm workers toiling under stifling conditions, and help people survive record-breaking heat waves. Bloch also presents a historical perspective on the importance of shade, noting that the ancient cities of Mesopotamia were a place to cool down thanks to their buildings, and life was more comfortable there than in villages. Bloch is at his best describing racial and socioeconomic inequalities in shade access: he presents data indicating that poor neighborhoods in L.A. and Portland, Ore., can have ambient temperatures as much as 20 degrees higher than more affluent areas, and notes that previously redlined neighborhoods have the highest land-surface temperatures. He loses steam a bit when he tries to address climate change more broadly, however. His exploration of out-there geoengineering schemes to, for instance, reflect the sun’s rays with sulfur dioxide don’t lend much insight. Still, readers will find some solid information about how local communities are dealing—or not—with rising temperatures. (July)