Posted on 7 October 2023 by John Hartz

Story of the Week

How to build a heat-resilient city

Grist designed a model metropolis for an era of high temperatures, using the coolest technology available.

Cities are hot. When you cover the ground with asphalt and concrete, jam millions of cars together on congested streets, and erect thousands of buildings that leak their own heat, you create what experts call an “urban heat island.” Daytime temperatures in these places can be as much as 7 degrees Fahrenheit higher than surrounding rural areas, and things don’t get much cooler at night.

As climate change fuels a succession of historic heat waves, the urban heat island effect in many American cities is pushing the limits of human survivability. That’s the case in desert cities like Phoenix, where temperatures crested 110 degrees F for 30 straight days this summer, and also in cooler climes like Chicago, which has seen a series of scalding triple-digit weeks over the past few months. 

Dealing with this type of heat requires more than isolated interventions — reflective roofs here or mist machines there. Rather, the crisis of the past summer has shown that most American urban centers will need to consider a revamp from the ground up.

Drawing on feedback from climate experts, architects, and urban planners, as well as successful technologies pioneered by warm-weather communities around the world, Grist set out to design a city built from scratch to handle extreme heat, all while reducing carbon emissions. The buildings and streets in this cool metropolis incorporate basic design principles such as shade and foliage, but they also include bespoke architectural solutions such as wind-trapping towers and special absorbent polymers. The finished product shows how much work is needed to adapt to the extremes of climate change, but it also shows how much more humane and people-oriented our cities can be.

Click here to access the entire article as originally posted on the Grist website.

How to build a heat-resilient city Grist designed a model metropolis for an era of high temperatures using the coolest technology available. by Jake Bittle & Naveena Sadasivam, Grist & Gizmodo, Oct 5, 2023

[Note: This story was co-published with Gizmodo. It is also part of Record High, a Grist series examining extreme heat and its impact on how — and where — we live.

Articles posted on Facebook

Sunday, Oct 1, 2023

• Ministerial shows fault lines on climate loss and damage fund On the sidelines of the UN general assembly, rich and poor countries were divided on how to deliver funds to victims of the climate crisis by Matteo Civillini, Politics, Climate Home News, Sep 25, 2023
• In Texas, water levels are so low a rarely-seen underwater cave and century-old ruins have appeared by Amanda Jackson & Zoe Sottile, US, CNN, Sep 30, 2023
• More than 100 dolphins dead in Amazon as water hits 102 degrees Fahrenheit by Marcelo Medeiras, Stefano Pozzebon & Heather Chen, World, CNN, Oct 1, 2023
• American Climate Corps: Biden’s new green jobs initiative delivers more promises than details by Christopher Staysniak, Environment & Energy, The Conversation US, Sep 28, 2023
• Biden Creates the American Climate Corps, 90 Years After FDR Put 3 Million to Work in National Parks The new workers will remove wildfire fuel in forests, install EV chargers in cities, retrofit thermostats in low-income homes and, it is hoped, move on to union jobs in the clean energy economy. Interview by Aynsley O’Neill, “Living on Earth”, Politics & Policy, Inside Climate News, Sep 30, 2023
• Why New York City Needs to ‘Fail More Gracefully’ An interview with Daniel Zarrilli, the city’s chief climate policy advisor under former Mayor Bill De Blasio by Emily Pontecorvo, Climate, Heat, Sep 29, 2023

Monday, Oct 2, 2023

• Who Are Climate Deniers? Why Do They Reject Climate Crisis Despite Evidence? YouTube Video, Firstpost Earth, Oct 1, 2023 [Note: Firstpost is an Indian news and media website.]
• Autumn heat continues in Europe after record-breaking September Countries including France, Germany and Poland all had their hottest Septembers on record by John Henley, Environment, The Guardian, Oct 1, 2023 

• What the world would look like without fossil fuels A thought experiment shows the complexities of phasing out oil, gas and coal by Shannon Osaka, Climate, Washington Post, Sep 30, 2023
• Slow route to net zero will worsen global climate crisis, IPCC chief warns Even if the 2050 goal is still met, postponing action – as the UK has done – will cause more heat and damage by Damian Carrington, Environment, The Guardian, Oct 1, 2023
• Type of storm that drenched New York is up to 20% wetter due to climate crisis Rapid attribution study finds storm 10-20% wetter after city experienced a month’s worth of rain in just a few hours on Friday by Oliver Milman, Environment, The Guardian, Oct 2, 2023
• DeBriefed 29 September 2023: Focus on carbon offsets; UK expands oil and gas; IEA’s path to 1.5C unpacked by Zeke Hausfather, Carbon Brief, Sep 29, 2023

Tuesday, Oct 3, 2023

• Climate Change Is Forcing Families Into a New Kind of Indefinite Hell, Guest Essay by Matthew Wolfe &Malcolm Araos, Opinion, New York Times, Oct 2, 2023
• Climate solutions are necessary. So we're dedicating a week to highlight them by Julia Simon, Morning Edition, NPR News, Oct 2, 2023
• Many scientists don’t want to tell the truth about climate change. Here’s why Commentary by Barbara Moran, WBUR\NPR News, Oct 3, 2023
• At a glance - Climate scientists would make more money in other careers John Mason & Baerbel Winkler, Skeptical Science, oct 3, 2023
• Record heat that canceled Twin Cities Marathon was spiked by climate change, climatologist says muggy 92-degree weather was more than 40 degrees hotter than ideal for running, race officials said. by Jennifer Bjorhus & Greg Stanley, Star Tribune, Oct 2, 2023
• The big idea: can we predict the climate of the future? We’re pouring money into computer models – but could they lead us astray? by David Stainforth, Climate Crisis, The Guardian, Oct 2, 2023

Wednesday, Oct 4, 2023

• September shattered global heat record — and by a record margin Temperatures around the world last month were at levels closer to normal for July by Scott Dance, Extreme Weather, Washington Post, Oct 3, 2023
• NPR's Climate Week: It's not all bad news: Wonderful and wild stories about tackling climate change by Emily Alfin Johnson & NPR Network, NPR News, Oct 3, 2023
• Can planting trees really help fight climate change? Planting trees has been promoted as a method for addressing global warming, but could it do more harm than good? by Staff, AFP/Al Jazeera, Oct 3, 2023
• Pope Francis scolds U.S., ‘irresponsible’ Western lifestyle in climate plea by Anthony Faiola & Chico Harlan, World, Washington Post, Oct 4, 2023
• In Shipping, a Push to Slash Emissions by Harnessing the Wind More ships are running on wind power, as the global industry tries to fight climate change. abba. by Cara Buckley, Climate, New York Times, Oct 3, 2023
• Climate Change Is a Key Obstacle for New York City’s Transit System by Ana Ley, New York, New York Times, Oct 4, 2023

Thursday, Oct 5, 2023

• In-depth Q&A: What food waste means for climate change by Orla Dwyer, Nature, Carbon Brief, Oct 3, 2023

• More Republican voters are tying extreme weather to the climate crisis. Why don’t their candidates care? Although Democrats and Independents have been more likely to accept the scientific evidence of climate change, Republican voters are quickly catching up by Louise Boyle & Eric Garcia, Climate, The Independent (UK), Oct 4, 2023
• Have some economists severely underestimated the financial hit from climate change? Recent evidence suggests yes by Timothy Neal, Environment & Energy, The Conversation AU, Oct 4, 2023
• Savanna & grassland carbon climate storage slows climate change Savannas and grasslands in drier climates around the world store more heat-trapping carbon than scientists thought they did, helping to slow the rate of climate warming, according to a new study. by Jim Erickson, Futurity , Oct 4, 2023
• Here's where the 2024 presidential candidates stand on climate change The presidential hopefuls are mostly following party lines on global warming. by Julia Jacobo, Politics, ABC New (US), Oct 4, 2023
• Drying of Amazon could be early warning of ‘tipping point’ for the rainforest by Ayesha Tandon, Nature, Carbon Brief, Oct 4, 2023

Friday, Oct 6, 2023

• Climate change-related droughts dent progress on energy emissions - report by Forrest Crellin, Business, Reuters, Oct 5, 2023
• World’s electricity supply close to ‘peak emissions’ due to growth of wind and solar by Molly Lempriere, Energy, Carbon Brief, Oct 5, 2023
• Where’s All the Antarctic Sea Ice? Annual Peak Is the Lowest Ever Recorded. by Delger Erdenesanaa & Leanne Abraham, Climate, New York Times, Oct 4, 2023
• 2023's Weather is Extreme. Can we stop it getting worse? by Adam Levy, ClimateAdam on YouTube, Oct 5, 2023
• 43 Million Children Forced From Homes Over Six Years Due to Climate Disasters Children in countries such as South Sudan and Somalia were displaced by flooding, while young people in wealthy countries including the U.S. were forced to flee wildfires and other extreme events. by Julia Conley, News, Common Dreams, Oct 6, 2023
• IEA says ‘unprecedented’ clean energy surge has kept key warming target alive “The pathway to 1.5°C has narrowed in the past two years, but clean energy technologies are keeping it open,” said International Energy Agency executive director Fatih Birol. by Jake Johnson, Energy, Yale Climate Connections, Oct 5, 2023

Saturday, Oct 7, 2023

• Flood Threats Are Rising. Here’s Where People Are Moving Into Harm’s Way. by Raymond Zhong, Climate, New York Times, Oct 4, 2023
• People working on climate solutions are facing a big obstacle: conspiracy theories by Ari Shapiro, Julia Simon, Huo Jingnan, David Folkenflik & Arielle Retting, NPR's Climate Week, Oct 5, 2023
• Shell called out for promoting fossil fuels to youth via Fortnite game Climate activists condemn oil giant for paying influencers to showcase marketing game from new gasoline campaign by Richard Luscombe, US News, The Guardian, Oct 6, 2023
• The crucial years in which I clumsily tie one hand behind my back Can we take on the climate disaster and the Trump disaster simultaneously? by Bill McKibben, The Crucial Years, Substack, Oct 2, 2023
• How to build a heat-resilient city Grist designed a model metropolis for an era of high temperatures using the coolest technology available. by Jake Bittle & Naveena Sadasivam, Grist & Gizmodo, Oct 5, 2023
• The Rays of the Sun They cut both ways, hard by Bill McKibben, The Crucial Years, Substack, Oct 7, 2023