How can cities adapt to deadly heat?
With the hottest summer in European history killing over 70,000 citizens in 2003, scientists are racing to find targeted ways to minimise danger from deadly heatwaves.
In 10 seconds? This July’s forest fires in Europe underscore how sudden heatwaves are threatening the 4 billion city-dwellers on our planet. Statistical models help to identify danger zones and at-risk groups, while ‘urban greening’ can reduce the heat. (Read the science here)
We have heatwaves every year. What’s the urgency? Heatwaves lead to high energy and water consumption, and may reduce global GDP growth by 20% by 2100 due to lost workdays. Researchers also warn that even in colder countries like the UK, heat-related deaths could jump by 257% by 2050.
So what makes a heatwave deadly? Deadly heat is the threshold where the combination of air temperature and humidity becomes life-threatening for vulnerable people, like the elderly and infirm. (Read more here)
How do we know where it might strike? Researchers call vulnerable areas of a city Urban Heat Islands, where the local built environment and demographics combine to make illnesses or deaths more likely to occur, such as central New York in 2016, where it was 10°C hotter than in the suburbs. Researchers can now use statistical models to pinpoint populations at risk. For example, cluster analysis applied to Paris found that the elderly were less safe where mostly older people lived and more safe in areas with more active workers.
I’m already sweating. Are there any scientific hacks? Yes, researchers have proposed a set of measures called urban greening to increase the number of urban parks and forests as well as creating ‘green roofs’. Studies show that more green cover has a stronger cooling impact, and roofs covered with vegetation reduce energy consumption. Another, more disputed adaptation strategy is managed retreat, when people are rehoused en masse from areas deemed unsustainable due to environmental factors.
How can I stay safe during a heatwave?
Just as many governments like Germany have now action plans, you should plan for a heatwave too:
• Be aware of what happens to your body. When heat is coupled with high humidity, evaporation slows down and sweating is not so effective in cooling your body down.
• Stay hydrated and sip water regularly, even if you don’t feel thirsty — and avoid too much coffee or tea.
• Eating smaller portions of light meals that are easy to digest will keep your body temperature down, and don’t forget to replace lost salts!
• Place heat reflectors on your windows or keep curtains drawn in sunny rooms.
• Finally, don’t forget to check on your friends and family!
Read the full WikiHow guide here.
This research was curated by Anna Firsova, Sparrho Hero and independent researcher and consultant working academic institutions and private companies
(Psst, Anna distilled 37 research papers to save you 812.6 min)
