Tired of living in an urban heat island? Plant more trees

The city of Las Vegas has become concerned about the urban heat island effect. I've been there in the summer, and boy is it hot. Bicyclists have to carry water to spray themselves frequently to cool down. It's well known that urban trees bring down the temperatures in summer. 
Las Vegas tree. Photo by Ellen Ross, CCL


It's not just the shade they cast. Tree transpiration has a cooling effect on the surrounding air mass. So Las Vegas has announced plans to plant 60,000 trees to make the city more livable.

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