Approximately 41 million Americans reside in urban heat islands, where the topography of the cities causes temperatures to rise by at least 8 degrees Fahrenheit, according to a report released on Wednesday by the nonprofit research organization Climate Central.
Urban heat islands develop when towns dispense with vegetation like trees, open water, and greenery in favor of tarmac, buildings, and other heat-absorbing materials. While urban heat islands are warmer all year round, the summer is when the effect of heat is most visible.
According to the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, global surface temperatures have increased at rates unprecedented in the past 2,000 years. The Climate Central analysis, which covers 44 cities, shows how some populations are more severely impacted by global warming.
According to Kaitlyn Trudeau, a climate scientist with Climate Central, “We’re basically talking about a phenomenon where there’s a measurable increase in urban air temperatures that’s caused by the way the city is built.” black construction materials, black pavement, tall buildings, high population density, and a lack of green space all contribute to further warming, according to the statement.
The revelation comes as a different group of climate scientists stated on Tuesday that if it weren’t for climate change, the heat waves that were frying areas of the U.S. and Europe would have been “virtually impossible.”
A database that divides census tracts into 16 different land categories provides the basis for the investigation. A city census tract may be predominately made up of small high-rise structures, sizable low-rise structures, dense forests, or a mix of other land types.
Researchers devised a system in 2020 that links varying land types to temperature fluctuations. According to Jen Brady, a researcher with the nonprofit organization Climate Central, they were able to compute temperature increases for several cities using this method.
Researchers from Climate Central discovered that the urban heat island effect currently affects at least 1 million residents in each of nine major cities: New York, Houston, Los Angeles, Dallas, Chicago, San Antonio, San Diego, Phoenix, and Detroit.
Each city experiences much hotter temperatures in a few tiny regions. Only 2% of Miami’s residents encounter temperatures 12 degrees warmer than those found in nonurban areas.
Nearly 80% of the population in New York City, according to the study, endures temperatures that are at least 8 degrees Fahrenheit higher than those found in nonurban areas, with Houston coming in second with 73% of its citizens living in such urban heat islands.
Urban heat island experts claim that the problem has significant consequences for both equity and health.
According to Schlegelmilch, “the urban heat island effect tends to affect poorer neighborhoods, majority-minority neighborhoods.” “The places that get hotter don’t have the money to build insulated homes or plant trees. They are more susceptible to climate change’s consequences.
The Climate Central report is a crucial starting point for further research on urban heat islands, according to Evan Mallen, a senior analyst for the Georgia Institute of Technology’s Urban Climate Lab, yet more work needs to be done to understand how to address the problem.
More green spaces should be planted in cities, buildings should be painted white to reflect heat, and alternative cooling materials should be used for pavement and sidewalks, according to Trudeau. Even little steps, like planting trees nearby, can help cities cool down.
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