Climate Central researchers found that nine major cities — New York, Houston, Los Angeles, Dallas, Chicago, San Antonio, San Diego, Phoenix and Detroit — each housed at least 1 million people currently affected by the urban heat island effect.
In New York City, the group reported that almost 80% of the population experiences temperatures at least 8 F warmer than a nonurban environment, followed by Houston, where 73% of city residents live in such urban heat islands.
Some smaller areas in each city see even higher temperatures. In Miami, 2% of the city’s population experiences temperatures 12 F warmer than nonurban areas.
Experts studying urban heat islands say the issue has important implications for both health and equity. Higher temperatures for people living in urban areas means a greater risk of exacerbating medical conditions and even heat-related deaths, said Jeffrey Schlegelmilch, the director of the National Center for Disaster Preparedness at Columbia Climate School.
“The urban heat island effect tends to impact poorer neighborhoods, majority-minority neighborhoods,” Schlegelmilch said. “The areas that tend to get hotter don’t have the resources to invest in well-insulated housing or tree cover. They’re more vulnerable to the effects of climate change.”
Evan Mallen, a senior analyst for the Georgia Institute of Technology’s Urban Climate Lab, said the Climate Central analysis is an important launchpad for sparking more research on urban heat islands, though more work needs to be done to understand how to address the issue.
Trudeau said some potential solutions include planting more green spaces in cities, painting city roofs and buildings white to help reflect heat, and using alternative cooling materials for pavement and sidewalks — even small actions, like planting trees locally, help cool cities down.
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