Researchers turn to surprisingly simple method to combat deadly heat waves — here's how it works

Thanks to a team of researchers, 400 households in Ahmedabad are getting "cool roofs" to combat excessively high temperatures.

Ahmedabad is one of India's hottest cities, with as many as 85 days of extreme heat each year, according to CSE data shared by The Times of India. 

A team from Germany's University of Heidelberg received funding from the U.K.-based Wellcome Trust — a charity dedicated to solving global health crises — for the roof project. 

Wellcome Trust's grants have also funded projects to determine links between Alzheimer's and menopause and to use reverse genetics to better understand chronic conditions.

The trial in Ahmedabad aims to determine how high temperatures affect overall health. To test this, each home in the study had its roof painted with a white reflective coating, known as a "cool roof," reported Reuters. These roofs reflect the sun's rays instead of absorbing them and heating homes.

Ahmedabad is known for having extreme heat spells, with many days from April to June exceeding 100 degrees Fahrenheit, per Weather Spark. 

While much of India is hot, especially during the summer months, highly populated cities like Ahmedabad tend to be more vulnerable to high temperatures. The heat island effect causes daytime temperatures to trend higher in urban areas due to heat-absorbing materials and fewer trees and water to cool things off. 

Activities like burning dirty fuels and cutting down forests have sped up the rise in temperatures around the globe. These human-driven actions release large amounts of planet-warming gases such as carbon dioxide, which trap heat in the atmosphere. 

Places like Ahmedabad tend to feel the effects of these activities even more than other areas. A 2018 study published in the Scientific Reports journal noted that if global temperatures rise by just 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) India could see six times as many heatwaves.

Extreme heat in Ahmedabad and other regions in India has increased hospitalizations and deaths. A 2024 study published in the Dialogues in Health journaI found that extreme heat in India contributed to cardiac, skin, and vector-borne diseases in addition to hyperthermia, heat strokes, and respiratory problems. 

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The "cool roof" project is designed to help researchers understand how much of a difference a cooler environment can make on health. 

Reuters reported that the project will last for one year, with researchers collecting health and environmental information from participants and non-participants to compare notes. But some residents are already noticing a difference. 

"My refrigerator doesn't heat up anymore and the house feels cooler," resident Nehal Vijaybhai Bhil told Reuters. "I sleep so much better and my electricity bill is down." 

By cooling down homes, Ahmedabad residents could see fewer health-related issues. And in low-income areas of the city with limited or no access to air conditioning, staying cooler without extra appliances can be life-saving. 

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