Shade, Glorious Shade

by Fran Withrow 09.2025

I am willing to bet you have never once thought of shade as a natural resource. Me neither, but my eyes have been opened after reading Sam Bloch’s intriguing book, “Shade.”

In our ever warming world, heat now claims “more lives than floods, hurricanes, and tornadoes combined,” but it is usually overlooked. There’s no property damage involved, so it’s more difficult to assess the monetary effect of these deaths. Shade is an important resource for cooling us down and reducing the number of deaths due to heat illnesses.

Bloch says that historically, people understood how to combat heat with shade: houses built close together with narrow streets for maximum protection from the sun, or nestled into the side of hills, with awnings and overhangs. Four and five story buildings or those put up near cooling canals helped reduce exposure to the sun. And of course, trees everywhere possible. But the advent of air conditioning changed everything. 

According to Bloch, air conditioning has not only made natural shade barriers less valuable, but has social consequences as well. Instead of sitting on our front porches, saying hello to neighbors, we are “disconnecting from nature and the communities it fosters.” He also says air conditioning prevents us from getting used to warmer temperatures, which means we need to use more air conditioning to be comfortable. 

Not everyone can stay inside though. Farm workers are terrifyingly vulnerable to the effects of brutal sun exposure, often with fatal consequences. Many workers out in the field feel they can’t take time to rest or to drink, as they will not meet that day’s quota. Incredibly, there is heavy debate about workers’ rights to hydration and shade. 

Hyperthermia has alarming cognitive effects as well: it appears that excessive sunlight slows the brain’s ability to alert one to the danger of overheating. People suffering from heat illness might not know they are in crisis, and fail to take action in time to save their lives. That’s an added concern for those who work outside.

People who are unhoused, or who reside in neighborhoods that lack trees and are largely made of concrete, are at heightened risk for heat illnesses. Politicians and police don’t make it easier: many of them discourage trees and bushes in poorer areas, saying the shady spots offer criminals a place to hide. People in these neighborhoods suffer disproportionately, while wealthier locations, with more grass and trees, see a reduction in summertime temperature. Our own city is mentioned. “In Richmond, Virginia, the city’s warmest zip codes bake in July air that is 16 degrees hotter than the coolest ones.”

Yikes.

We know some of the answers. Cut back on carbon emissions. Plant more trees. Green architecture, more parks, reducing the use of air conditioning, checking on those who live alone. There is also a new development on the horizon: solar radiation modification. New technologies are “being developed to cool Earth by shooting particles into the sky. Would that solve our problems, or cause unforeseen effects and irreparable damage?

Good questions, so stay tuned. And for now, be grateful for shade.