America's hottest city is nearly unlivable in summer. Can cooling technologies save it?

 Phoenix’s new ‘heat tsar’ is betting on less asphalt, more green canopy and reflective surfaces to cool the sprawling heat island

Temperatures in Phoenix are becoming deadly.
Temperatures in Phoenix are becoming deadly. Photograph: Ralph Freso/Getty Images

Asurge in heat-related deaths amid record-breaking summer temperatures offers a “glimpse into the future” and a stark warning that one of America’s largest cities is already unlivable for some, according to its new heat tsar.

Almost 200 people died from extreme heat in Phoenix in 2020 – the hottest, driest and deadliest summer on record with 53 days topping 110F (43C) compared with a previous high of 33 days. Last year there were fewer scorching days, but the death toll remained staggeringly high, with people experiencing homelessness and addictions dying disproportionately.

Phoenix, the capital of Arizona, is accustomed to a hot desert climate, but day and night temperatures have been rising due to global heating and the city’s unchecked development, which has created a sprawling urban heat island.

Read the full article

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

48th Annual Arizona State Fire School September 8-12, 2021

Image
    48th Annual ARIZONA STATE FIRE SCHOOL September 8 – 12, 2021   Arizona Fire Service personnel, it’s that time of year!   The Arizona State Fire School is back and  REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN!!   This year marks the  48th Annual Arizona State Fire School , which provides over 35 educational sessions from Basic Skills Training, Fire Prevention & Investigation, to Fire Leadership and is one of the best training experiences available at any venue in Arizona.   FYI –   IMPORTANT DATA UPDATE   The Arizona Center for Fire Service Excellence (AzCFSE) currently uses a database referred to as AzSTARS, which is used to track student records and course attendance. You will need an AzSTARS EIN number to register for Fire School courses. For those students with a number from our previous database (ERMA), you will continue to use that number to register for the State Fire School. If you do not know your EIN number from either the previous ERMA system or the current AzSTARS system, you will need
Read more

Winter Fire Safety Resources

Image
  Greetings Fire & Life Safety and Injury Prevention Education Colleagues,   It’s that time again for the Public Education Division at NFPA to partner with the US Fire Administration in our annual  Put a Freeze on Winter Fires  campaign running now through February. Please see information with links to resources that you can use in your efforts.  A few additional items:   Be sure to tag USFA and NFPA when using the Put A Freeze materials Use #wintersafety in your posts In addition, feel free to use the resources and social media assets from our  Winter Holidays Page  and  keep up with the latest from NFPA and Sparky the Fire Dog on  Facebook  ,    Twitter  and  Instagram Thank you for all you do to keep your communities safe and healthy! Put a Freeze on Winter Fires The U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) and the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) are once again teaming up to promote winter fire safety through their campaign, “Put a Freeze on Winter Fires.” The goal of the cam
Read more

NFPA Updates

Image
NFPA Updates   NFPA has a new director for our Public Education Division, Kelly Ransdell! Kelly has been with NFPA for several years, and brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to this position. Please see the NFPA News Release attached at the bottom of this email for more information.   It’s Home Fire Sprinkler Week, a great time to talk about residential sprinklers with your community. Follow this link to find more information, public education resources, social media cards with a different message for each day of the week, etc.:    https://homefiresprinkler.org/  .   It’s also National Electrical Safety Month, and this year’s theme for this month is “Taking Steps to Reduce Fire Risk of Lithium-Ion Batteries”. Here is a link with much more information, and additional links to related resources:   2024 National Electrical Safety Month - Taking Steps to Reduce the Fire Risk of Lithium-Ion Batteries  .   NFPA is considering the development of a new standard called NFPA 800,  Batter
Read more