The urban divide: unequal distribution of heat-related risks on city dwellers
Climate change and global warming affect humans, nature and the environment at a global scale. However, their impacts are often not equally and uniformly distributed. People living in Urban Heat Islands are more likely to experience higher levels of heat-related risks for their health, often enhancing existing social inequalities.
The Urban Heat Island (UHI) is a phenomenon typically associated with urban areas, and is defined as a temperature difference between urban and rural areas, caused by the excess of emitted heat and by the solar gain trapped by the urbanized environment.
Urban heat islands result from the use of heat-absorbing building materials such as metal, concrete, and brick, as well as a scarcity of vegetation that reduces cooling through evaporation and transpiration. Additionally, human activities such as transportation, lighting, and air conditioning actively contribute to trapping heat.
As reported by the BMJ, the UHI effect can impact on human health both directly and indirectly. Extreme heat has a direct effect on mortality and morbidity, usually leading to more severe consequences for vulnerable populations, such as the elderly or those on low incomes, which are often concentrated in urban areas where the heat island effect is highest.
For this reason, people who live in cities are usually more affected by extremely high temperatures or heat waves compared to people who live in suburban or rural areas.
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