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)

Hiding from the heat. Excessive heat kills more people every year than floods, hurricanes, and tornadoes combined. The solution to this international concern, says environmental journalist Bloch, is a simple one: more shade. But simple doesn't mean easy. Putting even a small dent in the amount of heat absorbed by the earth involves a multinational commitment to complex changes in the way we design not only cities but also neighborhoods, public spaces, and homes. Bloch begins each chapter with a story capturing various ways that lack of shade affects segments of the world's population, including passengers at bus stops in Los Angeles, travelers to desert oases, and residents of big-city high-rises, all seeking relief from the heat. The challenges are many: Homeowners want windows for light, property developers find it cheaper to rely on air conditioning to cool buildings, and city planners have a hard time justifying the cost of barriers and shade trees in public spaces. Ideas to reduce excessive heat range from planting trees to brightening clouds to solar-radiation management to using space shades and other tactics to reduce the amount of sunlight the earth absorbs. The simplest option is also the most obvious. As Bloch writes, "It's understandable that Americans have forgotten how sweet shade can be. As air-conditioning has become the default method of cooling down, theshade tree has disappeared from the lexicon….There is still no technology known to man that cools the outdoors as effectively as a tree." Bloch explores a catalog of possible solutions; none is examined in great depth, but the scope shows why this problem is not easily solved and presents an urgent need for continued conversation. A thoroughly documented and thought-provoking book, certain to spark attention and discussion. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.