“Heat islands” may seem a strange topic for a coastal newspaper that devotes much of its space to the varied ways people earn their livings in this region. But when you think about it, the way we design our malls and parking lots has a lot to do with this place where we live: large stretches of asphalt, or even a lot of small ones, can affect local temperatures and air quality, not to mention contributing to the large number of deaths annually from excessive heat.
Unfortunately a lot of communities lack ordinances to protect the public from this admittedly subtle threat. As paving proceeds here and there in connection with ongoing and planned development, it’s well to consider the cumulative impact of all this asphalt.
As writer Craig Idlebrook reports this month, Ellsworth — home to a lot of big parking lots — is re-examining its ordinances and “considering writing new rules mandating increased green space” in developments. Additional green space cannot only cool the air, but can also filter all kinds of pollutants from cars that otherwise run-off into streams and clam flats. If the city follows through, that would be a big and significant change, one for which our children will one day thank us.
Creeping asphalt and the resulting heat is like oh-so-gradual disappearance of the night sky — in our grandparents’ and parents’ time the moon, stars and planets stood out like gems above us. Now, sadly, in many places, artificial light out-competes the natural night sky, and even on clear nights it’s hard to see what’s up there. It’s not that the sky dimmed suddenly; it just got less visible over decades and decades. According to the experts the heat from paved surfaces is playing a role in global warming — someday, a child will ask why we didn’t do something before it was too late.