How are cities affected by climate change?

Cities are also incredibly vulnerable to climate change. High temperatures, sea level rise, and extreme weather are all felt more acutely in urban areas. Built on concrete, they absorb solar radiation but not water, making the effects of both heat waves and heavy rains more severe.

How does heat waves affect climate change?

Heat waves have happened in the past, but climate change is making heat waves longer, more extreme, and more frequent. By comparing different scenarios, scientists can tell that global warming is making heat waves worse. Worsening heat waves are likely to increase the number of heat-related illnesses and deaths.

What cities in the US have seen an increase in deaths due to heat waves?

Many cities, including St. Louis, Philadelphia, Chicago, and Cincinnati, have suffered dramatic increases in death rates during heat waves. Deaths result from heat stroke and related conditions, but also from cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease, and cerebrovascular disease.

How heat affects our lives?

Heat causes heat exhaustion, which can be dangerous. The longer you spend in the heat, the more serious the effects on your body can be. Increased body temperature can cause heavy sweating, clammy skin, dehydration, tiredness, headache, dizziness, nausea, cramps, and a quick, weak pulse.

How does climate change affect urban heat islands?

Climate change leads to higher temperatures and longer, more severe, and more frequent heat waves. Urban areas already suffering from the heat island effect will bear the brunt of these harsher heat events.

What are some ways of reducing the effects of heat in cities?

Extreme heat events often affect our most vulnerable populations first. Trees, green roofs, and vegetation can help reduce urban heat island effects by shading building surfaces, deflecting radiation from the sun, and releasing moisture into the atmosphere.

What causes heat deaths?

Background. When people are exposed to extreme heat, they can suffer from potentially deadly illnesses, such as heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Hot temperatures can also contribute to deaths from heart attacks, strokes, and other forms of cardiovascular disease.

How does heatwave cause death?

One of the main causes of death from overheating is dehydration. Professor Mike Tipton, from the University of Portsmouth, told Sky News: “The body’s defence against heat is to sweat, and with that, the blood thickens and the likelihood of it clotting rises.

Why do heat waves occur?

A heatwave occurs when a system of high atmospheric pressure moves into an area and lasts two or more days. In such a high-pressure system, air from upper levels of our atmosphere is pulled toward the ground, where it becomes compressed and increases in temperature.