Results are in for a Los Angeles cool pavement experiment

In Phoenix, Arizona, a citywide tree-planting initiative is slowly increasing canopy cover to reduce the urban heat island effect in neighborhoods that need it the most. Residents pick between several varieties of desert-adapted trees, which are planted on their property by professional arborists, and take care of them with a provided kit.

A neighborhood group and a roofing company in Los Angeles, California, painted streets, parking lots, and a schoolyard with a “cool pavement” coating that reflects the heat from the sun. The coating keeping the surface cooler and providing relief from the urban heat island effect.

A collaboration between tree-planting organizations in Washington D.C. helps Catholic church properties to plant and care for trees. The free trees are an effort to combat urban heat and benefit the local environment.

In Nigeria, nearly half of the population doesn’t have access to electricity grids, making solar a cheap and versatile option to bring affordable, reliable and eco-friendly power to millions. The country is using solar mini-grids, small installations that produce up to 10 megawatts of electricity. Nearly 120 mini-grids are now installed, powering about 50,000 households and reaching about 250,000 people.

To address shade inequality and rising heat deaths, the American Forests launched a digital tool in 2021 that scores geographic areas based on tree canopy and surface temperature, as well as other factors such as income, employment, race, age and health. It then calculates a Tree Equity Score and maps out the regions that have the greatest need for trees. With this information, Tucson aims to plant one million trees by 2030, and has already planted 120,000 over the past four years.

The Center of Contemporary Culture of Barcelona is a key part of the city’s growing climate shelter network, which has expanded from 70 locations in 2020 to 368 last summer. The climate centers are integrated into the city’s public infrastructure — libraries, parks, museums, etc. — and have expanded to the point where 98% of the population is within a 10-minute walk from a shelter.

Organizations in cities across the United States, including Philadelphia and Tucson, are simultaneously combatting urban heat and hunger by planting fruit trees and edible plants that provide shade and food that community members can harvest.

As deadly heat waves become more common, cities are looking to increase social infrastructure and community connections to keep vulnerable community members safe from the heat.

Stormwater fees, which are based on property runoff, are funding infrastructure upgrades and green spaces to absorb rainwater, reduce damage from flooding and improve water quality. Several municipalities have seen reduced flood damage and increased water quality after implementing stormwater fees, and have even hosted community events to educate residents on how the fees are used to make improvements.

A global movement to localize the construction process, and design buildings for the climate they reside in, is bringing back practices like green roofs and using natural materials like mud and salt to keep people cool as the planet warms.