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New York City COVID-19 Heat Wave Plan
May 15, 2020
In May of 2020, New York City (NYC)’s Mayor Bill de Blasio announced a COVID-19 Heat Wave Plan to keep vulnerable New Yorkers cool at home, create safer summer cooling options, and anticipate and reduce power outages. The plan addresses the higher risk for indoor summer heat exposure that vulnerable residents face while simultaneously trying to maintain social distancing in the context of a global pandemic. The $55 million plan directs the City to install 74,000 air conditioning units in the homes of residents who are 60 years of age or older, retrofit new spaces for emergency cooling centers, and better prepare for power outages. The plan lessens risk for vulnerable NYC residents of heat-related illnesses and death, as well as COVID exposure or infection. NYC recognizes the intrinsic connection with climate change, social equity, and COVID-19 recovery, and is committed to protecting the most vulnerable from climate impacts like extreme heat.
Resource Category: Planning
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City of Tempe, Arizona 2019 Climate Action Plan
2019
The City of Tempe, Arizona’s first Climate Action Plan (CAP) offers a roadmap toward sustainability and climate change resilience focusing on emissions reductions in transportation and energy use, and resilience to extreme heat. The plan includes twelve climate mitigation and adaptation actions for the city government, businesses, and residents of Tempe.
Resource Category: Planning
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Scorched: Extreme Heat and Real Estate
August 2019
Extreme heat is an increasingly severe climate change impact across the United States - to the environment and natural resources, public health, infrastructure and ultimately, the economy. Scorched provides an overview of extreme heat’s implications on the built environment and current and future real estate markets. Heat mitigation and adaptation strategies are discussed related to building design, building materials, green infrastructure and public space design. Case studies highlight the how the real estate sector is leading in implementing ‘heat-resilient’ building designs and land uses.
Authors or Affiliated Users: Katharine Burgess, Elizabeth Foster
Resource Category: Solutions
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Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Community Heat Relief Plan
July 2019
The City of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania addresses extreme heat and social disparities in its Beat the Heat Hunting Park Community Heat Relief Plan. The plan provides a roadmap of how to conduct an inclusive climate planning process through a community-based approach to combat urban heat emergencies. Beat the Heat was released in July 2019 by Philadelphia’s Office of Sustainability (OOS), in response to increased heat being identified as one of the main climate change threats in the city. OOS found that communities, where low-income residents and residents of color reside, are also most vulnerable to the heat. To cope with the heat disparities, OOS initiated the Beat the Heat pilot project in Hunting Park, which was identified as the most heat vulnerable neighborhood. The purpose of the project is to learn the causes of heat disparities and utilize a community-driven decision-making process to generate possible solutions for staying cool in the future. The plan is a collaborative work effort of city agencies, Hunting park organizations, residents, and community groups. Through the community engagement process, three priority areas were identified: 1. Staying cool and safe at home, 2. Staying cool and safe in public spaces, and 3. Greening and tree planting. The plan also provides a step-by-step Beat the Heat Toolkit for other urban communities to reduce social inequities and build climate resiliency.
Resource Category: Planning
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Killer Heat in the United States
July 2019
The Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) has evaluated how climate change will contribute to increasing incidence of dangerous high heat days across the U. S. This includes an analysis of the growing number of high heat days across various regions of the country, described under three climate change scenarios. The report also details the public health consequences of extreme heat and the populations that are particularly vulnerable to these threats. Policy recommendations are offered with adaptation measures that can be implemented at all levels of government to address rising temperatures.
Authors or Affiliated Users: Kristina Dahl, Erika Spanger-Siegfried, Rachel Licker, Astrid Caldas, John Abatzoglou, Nicholas Mailloux, Rachel Cleetus, Shana Udvardy, Juan Declet-Barreto, Pamela Worth
Resource Category: Assessments
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California Heat Assessment Tool (CHAT)
2019
The California Heat Assessment Tool (CHAT) was developed to help state and local public health officials understand how heat vulnerability will change with increasing temperatures due to climate change. The tool helps users identify heat vulnerable areas based upon changes in high heat days under different climate scenarios and social, health and environmental vulnerability factors. The study defines "Heat Health Events" (HHEs) as heat events that cause negative public health impacts - and the study found that vulnerable groups may be more sensitive to high-heat days by as much as 6 to 8 degrees Fahrenheit as compared to the general population.
Resource Category: Assessments
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National Integrated Heat Health Information System - Urban Heat Island Mapping Campaign
2018
The National Integrated Heat Health Information System (NIHHIS) Urban Heat Island Mapping Campaign provides technical and financial support to urban areas to help them identify neighborhoods at greatest risk from heat stress. NIHHIS is an integrated system that develops science-based products and services for urban areas to understand and reduce health risks related to extreme heat, which is likely to increase in frequency and severity in many urban areas as a result of climate change. Cities receive training, loaned equipment, and data processing and other technical support through the Mapping Campaign. Once complete, each participating city has detailed heat distribution data and maps, as well as a final report detailing the work and findings.
Resource Category: Funding
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Greening the Gateway Cities Program
2018
The Massachusetts Greening the Gateway Cities Program (GGCP) aims to increase tree canopy cover in the state’s Gateway Cities, which are urban centers facing economic and social challenges due to recent losses in industry and manufacturing power. The program is currently operating in 18 residential areas with the goal of covering 5% of each area in new tree canopy cover. This initiative aims to reduce heat stress as well as energy use and cost for Massachusetts residents.
Resource Category: Funding
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NYSERDA - Population Vulnerability to Climate Change in New York State
October 2017
The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) identified current and future vulnerability to extreme heat across New York State, focusing on community and individual health risk factors. A heat-vulnerability index was developed, and a heat-health impact assessment was conducted using ClimAID climate projections. The study included an assessment of the adequacy and accessibility of cooling centers, and the public’s awareness of cooling centers and heat warning systems or adaptation resources across New York.
Resource Category: Assessments
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The Use of Cooling Centers to Prevent Heat-Related Illness: Summary of Evidence and Strategies for Implementation
August 7, 2017
In August 2017, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) released the report, The Use of Cooling Centers to Prevent Heat-Related Illness: Summary of Evidence and Strategies for Implementation, which summarizes the effectiveness of cooling centers through concentrating on relevant peer-reviewed sources. After analyzing this peer-reviewed literature and examples of best practices, the document lays out the steps a health department or other applicable organizations or agencies can take to implement a cooling center.
Resource Category: Solutions
