Health threat to workers in US cities as temperatures rise steeply
Summer temperatures in several American cities are set to climb to dangerous levels due to the urban heat island effect, according to a new analysis by Climate Central
More than five million people living and working in New York City, Chicago and San Francisco face scorching summer temperatures up by at least 10 degrees Fahrenheit, according to an analysis of 65 US cities.
The research from Climate Central illustrates that the urban heat island effect will increasingly expose residents to higher heat-related health risks, as climate change raises local temperatures. For 145,000 people based in the most extreme urban heat islands, the local built environment can push temperatures even higher, by 12oF or more.
The analysis of census block groups – typically fractions of neighbourhoods including a handful of city blocks – identified areas in 19 cities where factors such as building and paving materials, population density, and lack of green space can make temperatures far hotter than in neighbouring communities.
Moving the dial
Few city residents can avoid the influence of urban heat islands. Nearly 34 million – 68 per cent of the population within the US cities analysed – live in environments where temperatures can be boosted by at least 8oF.
The ten US cities whose citywide urban heat island effects can increase temperatures the most (in degrees Fahrenheit) include: New York (+9.6); San Francisco (+9.1); Newark, New Jersey (+9.0); Chicago (+8.7); Philadelphia (+8.5); Washington DC (+8.5); West Palm Beach, Florida. (+8.5); Boston (+8.4); Miami (+8.4); and Baltimore (+8.4).
‘Urban heat islands already expose residents to disproportionate heat risks and cooling costs, which will only climb as long as carbon pollution drives up global temperatures,’ says Jennifer Brady, Climate Central’s senior data analyst. ‘Until cities take action to cool these areas, people who live there will face the worst impacts of climate change.’
A summary of findings, methodology, map graphics for 65 cities analysed at the census block group level, and data beneath the maps are available on the Climate Central website.
More than 1 million Chicago residents live in areas where the built environment can increase temperatures by at least 9 degrees Fahrenheit. Photo credit: Climate Central
