Uploaded July 2018 | Updated September 2026, 49 minutes ago
Dreaming of an island escape this summer? There’s one kind of island you’ll want to run far, far away from if you’re trying to beat the heat. Thanks to something called the “urban heat island effect,” cities like Los Angeles and New York are literally the hottest places to live -- and climate change is only heating things up more.
An epic heat wave wreaked havoc across L.A. over the past week, leaving more than 26,000 residents without power after temperatures spiked at 109 degrees in downtown. The good news is that cities are taking serious action to stem the serious public health threats that come along with extreme heat. Cool, right?
Read more about New York's efforts to stay cool:
grist.org/article/heat-check
Sources:
Doug Kelbaugh
https://taubmancollege.umich.edu/faculty/directory/douglas-kelbaugh
Angela Tovar – The Point Community Development Corporation
thepoint.org
Climate Central – Summer in the City
climatecentral.org/news/urban-heat-islands-threaten-us-health-17919
Cool Neighborhoods NYC:
www1.nyc.gov/assets/orr/pdf/Cool_Neighborhoods_NYC_Report_FINAL.pdf
New York City Environmental Justice Alliance
nyc-eja.org
New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
www1.nyc.gov/assets/doh/downloads/pdf/epi/datatable47.pdf
Illinois State Climatologist:
https://www.isws.illinois.edu/statecli/General/1995Chicago.htm
Dreaming of an island escape this summer? There’s one kind of island you’ll want to run far, far away from if you’re trying to beat the heat. Thanks to something called the “urban heat island effect,” cities like Los Angeles and New York are literally the hottest places to live -- and climate change is only heating things up more.
An epic heat wave wreaked havoc across L.A. over the past week, leaving more than 26,000 residents without power after temperatures spiked at 109 degrees in downtown. The good news is that cities are taking serious action to stem the serious public health threats that come along with extreme heat. Cool, right?
Read more about New York's efforts to stay cool:
grist.org/article/heat-check
Sources:
Doug Kelbaugh
https://taubmancollege.umich.edu/faculty/directory/douglas-kelbaugh
Angela Tovar – The Point Community Development Corporation
thepoint.org
Climate Central – Summer in the City
climatecentral.org/news/urban-heat-islands-threaten-us-health-17919
Cool Neighborhoods NYC:
www1.nyc.gov/assets/orr/pdf/Cool_Neighborhoods_NYC_Report_FINAL.pdf
New York City Environmental Justice Alliance
nyc-eja.org
New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
www1.nyc.gov/assets/doh/downloads/pdf/epi/datatable47.pdf
Illinois State Climatologist:
https://www.isws.illinois.edu/statecli/General/1995Chicago.htm
