A “heat dome” heat wave hit New York last Tuesday with temperatures soaring above 90 degrees all last week. Air temperatures of 90 degrees and above can be deadly, increasing the risk of heatstroke and sunstroke. Last year was the hottest on record in New York City, and the forecast for this summer indicates that we could have more record-breaking heatwaves. New York City may see an average temperature increase of 5.7°F, including a doubling of days above 90°F, by the 2050s according to the New York City Panel on Climate Change (NPCC).
Extreme heat is the deadliest impact of climate change, and communities of color are the most impacted. Black New Yorkers are twice as likely to die as white New Yorkers. Northern Manhattan is particularly affected by heat, as a high percentage of Northern Manhattan residents are low income, and at least a third live in homes with maintenance deficiencies or in poorly weatherized old homes. Cooling centers serve New Yorkers who cannot properly cool their homes but while New York City opened cooling centers last week, 40% were not open on Juneteenth and four did not have functioning air conditioners due to budget cuts.
Through our Heath, Health, and Equity initiative WE ACT is advocating for solutions to combat the deadly impacts of extreme heat, including improving our community’s cooling centers, planting more trees to reduce the urban heat island effect, establishing a maximum indoor air temperature, and increasing the funding to provide low-income families with air conditioning. These resiliency measures will be life-saving as our communities face hotter and longer summers.
