{
  "id": 19790182,
  "title": "BHEKISISA: Could a coat of paint help South Africans sleep better as the planet heats?",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/13/bhekisisa-could-a-coat-of-paint-help-south-africans-sleep-better-as",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-11-13T10:20:51.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Daily Maverick",
    "slug": "daily-maverick",
    "url": "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-11-13-could-a-coat-of-paint-help-south-africans-sleep-better-as-the-planet-heats/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Could a coat of reflective white paint on rooftops help South Africans sleep better as the planet warms? Researchers in Cape Town and rural Limpopo are testing whether painting shacks with special reflective paint can cool homes and improve residents' health as climate change causes hotter nights. Lara Dugas, an epidemiologist at the University of Cape Town, explains why warm nights are bad for sleep and how a simple solution could make a big difference. In South Africa and Ghana, scientists are testing whether this low-cost solution could reduce nighttime temperatures and improve people's sleep quality. The UCT-led study, Habvia, is funded by the Wellcome Trust. In informal settlements like Khayelitsha, where many people live in shacks with corrugated iron roofs that absorb heat, air conditioning is not a viable option for most. The 2025 Lancet Countdown report found South Africans experienced an average of 13 heatwave days in 2024, with climate change responsible for about eight out of every 10 of those days. However, a small-scale experiment with a potentially big impact could help millions as world leaders gather for the UN climate conference in Turkey.",
  "summary": "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.",
  "key_points": [
    "Reflective white paint tested on South African rooftops",
    "Study aims to cool homes and improve residents' health",
    "Warm nights linked to poorer sleep quality"
  ],
  "editors_take": "Deploying low-cost reflective coatings in informal settlements offers a scalable way to protect vulnerable populations from rising nighttime temperatures when expensive cooling technologies remain out of reach.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "IOL",
        "title": "Why South Africans of Indian descent must reclaim their Girmitiya history",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/13/why-south-africans-of-indian-descent-must-reclaim-their-girmitiya",
        "published": "2026-11-13T11:00:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}