Los Angeles is coating roads in reflective paint to beat the heat

Can a splash of grey pavement paint help streets cool and combat global warming as well?

In Los Angeles, where summer temperatures regularly surpass 38 degrees Celsius, or 100 degrees Fahrenheit, workers are coating streets in special grey treatments in a bid to do just that.

The City of Angels, home to four million people, is the first major city to test the technology.

Normal black asphalt absorbs 80 to 95 per cent of sunlight, while the gray “cool pavement” reflects it - dramatically lowering ground temperature and reducing urban street heat, advocates of the method say.

During a demonstration of the technique, Jeff Luzar - sales director at GuardTop, which markets the product - showed how applying the reflective paint could drop street temperatures by about 7 degrees Celsius after just one coat.

Los Angeles is the first city in California to test the treatment on a public road, after initial trials on parking lots, according to Greg Spotts, assistant director of the city’s Bureau of Street Services.

“We’re hoping to inspire other cities to experiment with different ways to reduce the heat island effect,” he said. “And we’re hoping to get manufacturers to come up with some new products.”