With scorching temperatures well past 100 degrees Fahrenheit pummeling much of the U.S., residents in major cities like Houston, Phoenix and Miami are experiencing far more intense weather than those in rural areas thanks to urban “heat islands.”
found that the current heat wave baking the U.S. and southern Europe would have been “virtually impossible” without human-caused climate change., at least nine cities, including New York, San Antonio and Los Angeles, are cities with at least 1 million residents that experience the highest urban heat island index of at least 8 degrees Fahrenheit or higher, which estimates how much hotter these areas are due to the characteristics of the built environment.
Rick White, a resident of Phoenix's largest homeless encampment, tries to cool off amid the city's worst heat wave on record, July 25. Many city residents — especially in low-income areas — also live near sources of air pollution like major roadways, industrial facilities and ports. This can lead to a variety of health effects ranging from asthma to reduced lung function to cardiovascular disease. Sinceand heat also increases the formation of smog, these pollutants combine with heat to pose an extra health burden.
“Ultimately, I describe extreme heat as such a risk-multiplier,” Sonal Jessel, director of policy at the Harlem-based nonprofit WE ACT for Environmental Justice, . “It’s not an issue that exists in a vacuum at all, and lower-income communities or communities of color bear the brunt of all these different hardships.”
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