Leaders respond to high heat with measures to protect public health

By Lori Lee
NDG Contributing Writer

As we’re getting past the hottest summer on record, government leaders across the country are taking measures to protect public health. Heat kills more than any other weather-related event, with almost half a million people dying each year, according to Human Rights Watch.

Cities across the country are responding to increasing critical needs due to heat, including Los Angeles, which has been developing a focused campaign since 2022, said Marta Segura, chief heat officer for the City of Los Angeles.

Segura, one of ten chief heat officers worldwide, said a number of city departments have aligned “to sing the same song.” Planning and Capital Works are working to decarbonize and improve energy and transportation, and with a goal of increasing tree canopy by 50% in 2028, they are pushing hard to increase vegetation throughout the city.

Three hours of refuge can help people survive, said Segura, so the city is working to adapt its cooling centers into the social fabric to make them a part of everyday life.
Los Angeles has been training AmeriCorps volunteers to go into lower-income homes and find low-cost solutions to help people save energy. This often means adding weather stripping, programmable thermostats and heat pumps. By increasing energy efficiency in these homes, they are helping to decarbonize the city overall, said Segura, important since carbon triggers asthma attacks and other health issues.

The city is also adapting its infrastructure, using permeable paving and cool pavement. Though they found cool pavement is expensive and deteriorates in high traffic, the city is leaning to place the material in appropriate areas to help them reap the most benefits.

The City of Los Angeles also worked with the National Weather Service and Emergency Management to post advisories and develop heat protocols for summer camps, libraries and parks. After tracking heat-related emergencies to zip codes in poorer areas, Segura’s department developed a Climate Equity program to support underinvested neighborhoods.

Marginalized populations, which have lacked investment over decades, often have deficiencies in vegetation and financial hardships that separate them from crucial air conditioning, transportation and power.

Considering both demographics and geography, Segura said staff uses an equity index to determine where investments can have the greatest impact.

Phoenix found a similar phenomenon. As the largest, hottest city is in Maricopa County, Phoenix, has seen a 25% increase in heat related deaths over the past year.

David Hondula, a researcher who had been studying the Phoenix problem, found areas of high poverty were hit hardest, the homeless experiencing half of all heat-related emergencies, especially drug abusers. Hondula, who is now the City’s Director of Heat Response, said outdoor workers and children were also affected, especially in areas with high land-surface temperatures, including those with less ground cover and fewer trees.

Cities across the country are recognizing investment in such at-risk areas has meaning, and they are aligning with federal goals for equity to attain funding to improve these areas.

Miami-Dade, also working toward a climate resiliency strategy, is known internationally for risks of rising sea levels and hurricanes. While working in community outreach in 2020, Chief Heat Officer Jane Gilbert had recognized the growing dangers of heat as she began hearing complaints about parents no longer able to take children to parks and witnessing people getting overheated while waiting on the bus.

Her department had been putting together surveys to find out what public concerns were when they found very few people were actually concerned about sea-levels or hurricanes, with top worries centered on heat, she said.

The city’s mayor responded quickly, creating a position to work across departments to mitigate heat. “If you want to go fast, go alone, said Gilbert, but if you want to have great impact, go together.” Miami is bridging across departments and partnering with community organizations.

A lot of work has been done–handing out water, providing tents for shade, fans and wet towels, said Gilbert. Because it takes multiple hours to cool down, the city offers augmented cooling centers to provide overnight shelter, and on extreme days, providing transportation to the centers. It save lives, explained Gilbert.

Segura of Los Angeles, a city which is also taking a comprehensive approach, stresses single-approach solutions, such as cap and trade, can turn people off to climate solutions. No single approach can work, she said. Los Angelenos are working to increase tree canopy, shade structures, cooling centers and hydration stations. They are decarbonizing transport and homes, while adding heat pumps and cool roofs. They are looking at systems change, and using vegetation, bio-swells and passive cooling to reach the city’s long-term goals.

Hondula, Gilbert and Segura all seemed to agree, heat is acting as a catalyst for change. Politics has done very little to interfere with addressing extreme heat, an issue that is less politically charged than the global climate crisis, said Hondula. And though funding may be missing at the state level in some cases, as the public experiences heat increases first hand, they are becoming well aware of the problem, said Gilbert. It’s hard to deny when the ocean is crawling up your ankles, she said.

Lori Lee holds a Ph.D. in Urban Planning and Public Policy from the University of Texas in Arlington, with work focused on neighborhood revitalization, sociability, and environmental management.