The term megacity is defined as a metropolitan center with at least 10,000,000 people. In the year 1950, the world had a single megacity, New York. Today, we have 15 and are headed for a great many more. This is significant to the question of global warming because the average city dweller uses 3 units of energy for every 1 unit produced whereas your average farmer who does not use an excess of mechanized equipment lives at roughly a 1:1 average.
In the United States, the average city dweller consumes 5 units of energy for every unit produced! In other words, we Americans do not live efficiently and the world is following our lead – not a good trend! It is for this reason that environmentalists point to reforming city lifestyles as one of the best ways to begin reversing the climate crisis. I concur fully but we must do more than teach the people to live greener and retrofit buildings to use less energy. We must control urban heat islands, too.
Urban heat islands are the areas in and around cities and megacities where daytime heat indices exceed the average temperature which would exist if the land where the city exists were in its natural state (farmland, forest, prairie or otherwise). These islands are caused by three main factors:
1) The loss of trees and arable land;
2) The heat-trapping qualities of asphalt and concrete; and
3) Smog.
Flexi-Pave, as described in my previous thread, can help ameliorate the effects of item 2 above because of its high caloric heat transfer rate. In short, this remarkable product not only allows rainwater to flow through it as if it’s not there but it does something similar with sunlight and radiant heat. That’s amazing and the product is made from recycled tires! Talk about an environmentalist’s dream!
I encourage everyone to learn more about Flexi-Pave and ask his/her local government officials why it isn’t used more commonly. You also are most welcome to contact me for more details on my impressions of the product. I’ve held it in my hands and seen it in action. It really is as good as I have described.
What is its connection to space technology, you might ask? When the Space Shuttle was designed, one of its key features was the heat-diffusing ceramic tiles along the front which allowed for controlled atmospheric reentry. I do not claim that Flexi-Pave cylinders could be used on the Space Shuttle BUT the intensity of heat which the tiles on the Space Shuttle deflect and diffuse is on the same order as the heat currently trapped in city streets, leading to urban heat islands.
In other words, the quest to make cities cooler during the summer months won’t be easy but it is possible and if we can achieve the desired results in our space program, we ought to be able to do so on the planet’s surface.
Sustainable Justice For All!
Corbett Kroehler
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