LowEmissionAsphalt-136pg-WhitePaper-May2023

P a g e | 87 Heat Islands The environmental issues with roads do not end with manufacturing emissions or even with traffic pollution (Figure 56) . The growth in urbanization and changing land use coupled with ever rising vehicular emissions intensifies the Urban Heat Island effect (UHI) in our largest cities. UHI intensity itself, is highly correlated to air-toxin levels. 180 Heat-build and poor air quality exaggerate calefactory-related stresses from O 3 levels and accompanying disease in humans, including atopic (asthma) and more serious pulmonary and cardio disorders. 181 Additionally, the number one weather-related cause of death in the United States is heat. 182 Figure 56 – How the Heat Island Effect Occurs Source: Green Ribbon Toronto Though UHI intensity depends on any number of factors, the thermodynamic properties of surface materials like pavements amplify the temperature profiles at the local scale. Our cities are heating up (Figure 57) . So, roads are a target. 180 EPA Heat Island Reduction Program (HIRP), www.epa.gov/heatislands. 181 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), www.cdc.gov/disasters/extreme heat/warning.html. 182 CDC.