Could a coat of paint help South Africans sleep better as the planet heats?

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Could a coat of white paint help South Africans living in scorching shacks sleep better? Researchers are testing whether reflective roof paint can cool homes and improve people’s…

Could a coat of white paint help South Africans living in scorching shacks sleep better? Researchers are testing whether reflective roof paint can cool homes and improve people’s health as climate change makes our nights hotter. UCT epidemiologist Lara Dugas explains why heat is bad for sleep – and how a simple solution could make a big difference.

A coat of cool, reflective, white paint on the roof of a shack could help protect the people who live there from dangerous heat – and give them a better night’s sleep.

In South Africa and Ghana, researchers are testing whether this simple solution could improve people’s health as climate change makes our nights hotter. The UCT-led study; Heat Adaptation Benefits for Vulnerable groups in Africa or Habvia is funded by the Welcome Trust.

In Khayelitsha, Cape Town, and Mphego village near Thohoyandou in Limpopo, scientists are painting roofs with a special coating that reflects sunlight instead of absorbing it.

It’s a small-scale experiment with a potentially big impact – and the kind of practical solution that could help millions of people as world leaders gather in Antalya, Turkey, for COP31, the United Nations’ annual climate change conference, which began on 9 November and runs until 20 November.

Health is high on this year’s agenda: the summit opened with a dedicated Health Day, and the World Health Organization is pushing countries to do more to protect people from the growing health threats of climate change.

The idea behind the roof-painting project is simple: stop homes from becoming unbearably hot during the day so that people can sleep more comfortably at night.

Early, yet to be published findings from the project suggest that the paint can reduce indoor temperatures by about 3°C to 5°C during the hottest part of the day.

The researchers have already painted 120 roofs as part of a study involving 240 households. The trial, which started in 2022, is expected to finish at the end of 2027.

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