Why listen
The tools to fight extreme heat already exist, so why aren't cities using them at scale?
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In this episode
- Which nature-based and reflective surface solutions are proven and ready to deploy
- Why access, not innovation, is the real barrier to beating extreme heat
- How extreme heat damages health and the economy beyond just hot days
- What vulnerable communities need from cities that are still working in silos
About this episode
Rising temperatures have ripple effects on our health, our economy and more. So to deal with the problem of extreme heat, we need to bust out of our silos and embrace collaboration.And as high as the stakes are, we know the solutions to address the problems. Nature-based solutions, solar reflective surfaces and shade, among other lessons we can glean from the communities that have long dealt with heat, are all on the table.
“We have most of these tools available to us now,” says Kurt Shickman, the director of Extreme Heat Initiatives at the Adrienne Arsht Rockefeller Foundation Resilience Center and former executive director of the Global Cool Cities Alliance. “We're not in a challenge of innovation here. We're in a challenge of access.”
On this episode of the podcast, we explore the evidence-based solutions to curbing extreme heat, the reasons why these haven't been implemented at scale, and what's at stake for our cities' most vulnerable communities.
About Next City
Join Lucas Grindley, executive director at Next City, where we believe journalists have the power to amplify solutions and spread workable ideas. Each week Lucas will sit down with trailblazers to discuss urban issues that get overlooked.
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