EXTREME HEAT IN NYC:
Stay Cool & Take Action

STAY COOL
New York City has declared its first official heatwave of the summer. Temperatures are expected to exceeded 90 degrees through Saturday. The Cooling Centers are open, and you can locate the one nearest to you here. The City’s extreme heat webpage provides tips on what to do during heat waves as well as how to identify heat-related illness and what to do in response. The Department of Health also has some helpful advice on its heat webpage.
 
TAKE ACTION
As you may know, WE ACT has been working hard to address extreme heat, the deadliest impact of climate change. We recently held a webinar on extreme heat, during which we unveiled our 2023 Extreme Heat Policy Agenda, which outlines the programs and policies we are pursuing. Extreme heat is the deadliest impact of climate change, and studies show that communities of color experience the worst of it.
 
We urge all New York City residents to take a break from the heat and take some online action to advocate for the following changes from our 2023 Extreme Heat Policy Agenda:
 
Improving the City’s Cooling Centers
Cooling Centers are often the only relief for those of us without air conditioning. Yet the program has no funding. Our Cooling Center Audit Report identified gaps in coverage for heat-vulnerable neighborhoods, accessibility, and operating hours. We want to see an improved and fully-funded Cooling Center Program. Click here to send a letter to Mayor Eric Adams and City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams
 
Cooling Our Communities with More Trees
One of the easiest ways to cool our communities is by planting more trees, and yet tree planting has hit its lowest level in 15 years. Join us in telling the New York City Council to create an Urban Forest Master Plan to assure proper growth, maintenance, and preservation of trees now and for generations to come. Click here to send a letter to your City Council Member
 
Establishing a Maximum Indoor Air Temperature
In New York, the law states that if the outside temperature falls below 55°F, then the inside air temperature must be at least 68°F everywhere in your apartment and in your building. But extreme heat is far deadlier than extreme cold, so why don’t we have a maximum indoor air temperature? Click here to send a letter to your City Council Member

And if you are looking for something to read while keeping cool, Sonal Jessel raised the alarm in the New York Amsterdam News about the a climate justice emergency we are facing here in New York. Less than a month into what will be the hottest summer on record, the State’s Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program’s cooling assistance fund - which helps people afford air conditioners to cool their homes - has already run out of money. We are demanding action from the Governor and the Mayor!