America’s Deadly Heat Isn’t (Officially) a Major Disaster

There has been a drastic increase of heat-related mortality in the US over the last 30 years. This disproportionately exposes poorer, nonwhite people, and the elderly. The emergence of extreme heat as a climate hazard shows the need for more nuanced cost-benefit metrics, social vulnerability analyses, and federal guidelines to ensure disaster response and preparedness funds are available to local jurisdictions.

Meet “La Sombrita,” the Shade Structure That Only Attracts More Heat

Extreme heat has been a concern in Southern California for decades as temperatures continue to rise. In the City of Los Angeles, an effort to provide bus stop shade for public transit riders--who tend to be people of color—demonstrates a long-standing challenge in all levels of government: inability to work across departments.