Why is extreme heat becoming more and more prevalent, and why do some communities suffer worse than others?

Exacerbated by climate change, extreme heat is becoming a reality for more and more communities each year. In the past few days alone, temperatures over 100 degrees Fahrenheit have shut down transportation systems in Europe, closed schools and offices, fed massively destructive wildfires and caused a devastating loss of human life.

Here at home, in an average year, heat kills more people in the U.S. than any other type of extreme weather. In Philadelphia, a study by the Office of Sustainability showed that temperatures in some neighborhoods can be as much as 22 degrees higher than in others and that low-income residents and residents of color are more likely to live in these hotter neighborhoods.

Why is extreme heat becoming more and more prevalent, and why do some communities suffer worse than others? Why are people of color, low-income individuals and those living in certain neighborhoods most affected by dangerous heat waves? And how might the Academy’s upcoming efforts to map heat and air quality in Philadelphia make a difference?

Join us for a virtual Zoom conversation all about heat inequity.

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