A higher number of high heat days correlates with more cardiovascular deaths, according to new research.
According to an article by Maryn McKenna in Wired, new research suggests that “cardiovascular deaths linked to extreme heat could triple to almost 5,500 extra deaths per year, if nothing is done to curb the greenhouse gas emissions that are driving climate change and extreme heat events” by the middle of the century. Even with some emissions reductions, the study predicts a doubling of cardiovascular deaths.
“Thanks to the combined influences of age, genetic vulnerability, geography, and the heat-trapping aspects of urban development, the investigators predict that older adults will be at higher risk, and Black adults will be at higher risk than any other group,” the study notes.
“The projections confirm what other researchers have been finding: a reliable relationship between climate change and harm to human health, not just in the US but worldwide.” Meanwhile, a vast web of policies and historical decisions put low-income households and communities of color at higher risk for being impacted by extreme weather and pollution.
Cities are increasingly recognizing the dangers of extreme heat and taking steps to identify the areas at highest risk and launch interventions such as increasing green space, providing shade, and installing reflective surfaces to mitigate the urban heat island effect.
FULL STORY: As Extreme Heat Increases, Heart Attacks Will Rise
Phoenix Shade Plan Focuses on Bus Stops
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Copenhagen is losing its cool
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People don’t kill cities. Freeways do.
US to reduce Colorado River water deliveries to Mexico
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New Jersey’s second-largest city bans standalone data centers
Jersey City will continue to allow co-location facilities, such as those meant for research institutions that store their own data.
Amtrak not solely to blame for New Jersey commuter rail's unreliability, report finds
A new study from the Garden State Initiative found that NJ Transit’s budget grew 20% across a 4 year period, but reliability declined significantly over the same period.
EPA erases limits on planet-warming pollution from power plants
Under Monday’s plan, power plants would still have some limits on how much mercury, arsenic and other contaminants they can emit.
Phoenix announces new on-demand transit service, more frequent RAPID buses
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FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
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Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
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Eagle County Government
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
Nashville Planning Department
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
Journal of the American Planning Association