Unrelented heat: international trends and impacts on human health in 15 selected cities

Abstract

The intensive rate of urbanization in the 20th and 21st century means that addressing climate-related elements such as urban heat, that endanger urban population health and well-being, needs to be a top political priority, and a central component of mitigation and adaptation plans. The aims of this communication are to address the impacts of urban heat on human health, to present an international study identifying current trends, and suggesting measures to address the problem. We analyzed temperature data series for the period 1901–2020, and estimated temperature trends for the 2050–2100 period in 15 selected cities. The selected cities show an average increase of 1.5°C in the temperatures of the analyzed cities, which has occurred mainly since the 1980s. Also, increases of more than 1.5°C for 2050 and 2.5°C for 2100 are observed in the RCP8.5 scenario. One of the possible solutions to address the problem may be to perform high accuracy micrometeorological measurements in cities, thus contributing to a better understanding of how to increase urban resilience to climate change. We also highlight the need to improve surveillance systems for chronic diseases, in coordination between the health and meteorological local services.