Dark cars heat up cities: is light color the solution?

Dark cars heat up cities: is light color the solution?

The issue of climate change is becoming increasingly explosive, especially in urban areas such as Cologne. A new study from Lisbon sheds light on how the color of a car directly contributes to increasing air temperatures. According to research, a black car can raise the ambient temperature by up to 1.9°C above that of a white vehicle, which is a significant factor in cities with millions of vehicles. Not only is this an interesting observation, but it also shows implications for the quality of life of city residents who are already suffering from heat stress. Lalterpresse highlights that this contributes to the urban heat island effect - a phenomenon that further increases air temperatures in cities due to human activity and high densities of concrete buildings.

The explanation for this is the Albédo phenomenon: Dark surfaces such as black vehicles absorb more sunlight and give off this heat. As a result, in some cases the heat emitted by a black car exceeds that of the surrounding asphalt. In addition, the accumulation of dark cars can exacerbate the already severely stressed urban heat problem. Research shows that white cars, which reflect 75-85% of sunlight, could offer a refreshing twist on this dilemma by reducing surface temperatures on hot days. Issues.fr tells of a measurement in which a black car in direct sunlight increased the air temperature by 3.8 °C - an alarming result.

Urban heat islands and their consequences

The entire context highlights a serious challenge facing many cities around the world. According to a report by DW, over 50% of the world's population already lives in cities, and this number could rise to almost 70% by 2050. Urban heat islands are caused by a variety of factors: Density emanating from concrete and asphalt has a different effect than the cooling effects of vegetation in rural areas. Structures and paved surfaces absorb heat, raising the temperature in urban centers by 10 to 15 degrees Celsius.

Especially during heat waves, city dwellers need to be mindful of the health risks associated with these temperature increases. Vehicle exhaust not only contributes to rising temperatures, but also to poor air quality, which in turn can affect the well-being of residents. There are various solutions to counteract this: greening urban spaces with drought-resistant plants, creating water points and innovative approaches such as “cool roofs” and special, light-colored street surfaces.

A smart approach for the future

The idea of ​​considering the use of bright vehicle colors as part of a comprehensive strategy to mitigate urban heat is still relatively new. Research has shown that recoloring municipal vehicle fleets, taxis and vans would be a simple and effective measure to address urban climate issues. A focused approach to the color choice of our cars could not only improve the comfort of city dwellers, but also contribute to reducing urban climate pollution.

So the question that concerns us all is: are we willing to choose our vehicle based solely on its color to reduce the heat in our cities? The move towards brighter cars could be the beginning of a climate-friendly rethinking of our mobility - and a win-win situation for people and the environment.