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   Dr. Katharine Hayhoe (kathhayhoe@climatejustice.rocks)'s status on Tuesday, 08-Aug-2023 11:46:37 JST Dr. Katharine Hayhoe

   in reply to

   So what can we do about it? One solution is to increase green cover through urban tree-planting and gardening. Increasing green spaces in cities doesn't just keep them cooler during heatwaves; it also reduces air pollution, promotes mental health, provides flood protection, and takes up carbon too!

   In Phoenix, the organization I work with, TNC, is partnering with the city and local communities to empower citizens to advocate for and implement solutions in their neighbourhood through the Urban Heat Leadership Academy. Read: https://www.nature.org/en-us/about-us/where-we-work/united-states/arizona/stories-in-arizona/city-heat-air-quality/

   In Louisville, we've been partnering with the university for five years to painstakingly document the health benefits of urban greening for five years as part of the Green Heart Project, hoping to help other cities build their resilience too. See: https://www.nature.org/en-us/about-us/where-we-work/united-states/kentucky/stories-in-kentucky/green-heart-project/

   Even smart resilient strategies like these won't be enough, though, if we don't cut heat-trapping gas emissions. As John Holdren said, "We have three choices: mitigation, adaptation, and suffering. We’re going to do some of each. The question is what the mix is going to be. The more mitigation we do, the less adaptation will be required and the less suffering there will be."

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     Dr. Katharine Hayhoe (kathhayhoe@climatejustice.rocks)'s status on Tuesday, 08-Aug-2023 11:46:38 JST Dr. Katharine Hayhoe

     Across the globe - north and south, ocean and land - climate change is super-sizing our heatwaves and heat extremes. While this puts us all at risk, some are much more vulnerable than others. Here's why.

     First, people living in cities experience up to 4C (7F) hotter temperatures than surrounding rural areas due to the urban heat island effect. The strength of the heat island effect increases with the size of the city, driven by differences in evapotranspiration and convection efficiency between urban versus rural areas. Source: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-019-1512-9

     Even within the same city, though, low-income neighbourhoods can be up to 8C or 15F hotter than high income neighbourhoods in the same city during a heatwave. This means poorer and non-white people are at much greater risk from heat-related stress, illness, and even death. Once again, climate change is a threat multiplier, exacerbating the risks the most vulnerable and marginalized already face today. Source: https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2021EF002016

     This disparity is primarily due to a lack of green spaces and tree cover, exacerbated by the fact that poorer areas are often next to sources of heat like industrial areas -> which are in turn due to racist redlining practices stretching back to the 30s. Read: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/how-redlining-made-city-neighborhoods-hotter-180975754/

     If you live in the U.S., find your city here: https://www.npr.org/2019/09/03/754044732/as-rising-heat-bakes-u-s-cities-the-poor-often-feel-it-most

     Charles Muller repeated this.