This Is How We Solve a Heat Crisis

Every summer now feels like Groundhog Day. More heat records broken. Soon, we’ll have more school days canceled (take Philadelphia for example where nearly 30 percent of city schools recently shut down due to lack of cooling systems). We already have more heat-related deaths (in fact, according to a study, it’s very likely we’ve been […]Photo by Robert Tjalondo on Unsplash Every summer now feels like Groundhog Day. More heat records broken. Soon, we’ll have more school days canceled (take Philadelphia for example where nearly 30 percent of city schools recently shut down due to lack of cooling systems). We already have more heat-related deaths (in fact, according to a study, it’s very likely we’ve been undercounting them). And every summer, most cities use the same tools to try to help their residents stand (but not really beat) the heat. Smartphones are filled with “Code Red” texts and heat advisories from public officials who offer nothing more than cooling centers, hydration stations, water misters, and fans. But these short-term strategies fail to reach the root causes of record-breaking heat in cities. Worsening summer heat is a systematic threat requiring, instead, a more systematic solution that proactively cools cities down rather