Climb into a black car on a hot day and you can feel a key principle of physics at work: dark colors retain heat. Now magnify that across an entire city of asphalt roofs, blacktop roads and parking lots--and you have what scientists call an "urban heat island;" an effect that triggers a vicious cycle of higher energy bills and air pollution. As part of our continuing radio series exploring science and environmental issues, Craig Miller profiles what one community is doing to cool down.
Andrea Kissack is Senior Editor for QUEST at KQED Public Radio.
You may also listen to this report online.