Weather

Can Google Help Cities Avoid Severe Heat Damage?

By Douglas McIntyre • September 14, 2024

Yigithan Bal Pexels

Google has a new tool that can help cities track and manage the effects of temperature. When the product was released, the company’s management wrote, “Google Research is applying AI to satellite and aerial imagery to build a Heat Resilience tool, helping cities understand how to reduce surface temperatures through planting trees or using highly reflective surfaces, like cool roofs. “

Unlike many other temperature tools, the Google product offers solutions rather than observations. Cities create what are known as “heat islands.” They are metro areas where circumstances spike temperatures.

Phoenix

It is subjective to say the tool has come just in time, but there is some truth to this. Phoenix has had over 100 days when the temperature peaked over 100 degrees F. Many people, particularly the poor, do not have air conditioning. Temperatures often do not drop below 90 degrees at night, and people do not have time for their bodies to recover.

As the “100-degree cities” spread, some areas within their borders will not be livable without solutions.

Finally, AI has been described as dangerous among people who worry it will take jobs or gain control over critical parts of the world’s technology. At least one new tool can be used for better circumstances.