Aerial Photos Tell a Story About Which Cities Are Embracing Clean Energy

Sometimes it takes a different perspective to grasp how the world is changing. Taking a birds-eye view (literally, from an airplane) over Tokyo, Sao Paulo, Mexico City, and New York City reveals some of the ways both the population is growing and evolving and how clean energy is (and isn’t) spreading. For example, giant warehouses and distribution centers congregate around most airports in the world. They have big, flat, ugly roofs staring up at the sun all day. In many cities, the last five-plus years have witnessed a rapid shift in what those roofs look like. Some are now covered in dirt (green roofs that can control temperatures inside very effectively), and a growing number are covered in more processed dirt — i.e., silicon in the form of solar photovoltaics. New York area and Tokyo seem to be making terrific progress here, while Sao Paulo and Mexico City are lagging.