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Articles on Urban heat

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Sebastian Pfautsch/Western Sydney University

When homes already hit 40°C inside, it’s better to draw on residents’ local know-how than plan for climate change from above

Western Sydney residents whose homes often get hotter inside than outside during heatwaves have learnt to be resourceful in adapting to the increasing heat.
Artist’s impression of the new city. NSW Government/AAP

Bold and innovative planning is delivering Australia’s newest city. But it will be hot – and can we ditch the colonial name?

The new city bears a colonial name and there are questions about locating it in the hottest part of Sydney, but we are also seeing all 3 tiers of government work together in an innovative way.
Dean Lewins/AAP

Why Western Sydney is feeling the heat from climate change more than the rest of the city

Very hot days in Western Sydney are typically 5 degrees hotter than parts of the city close to the coast and are becoming more common, but only in the west. Four climate drivers explain the difference.
Amsterdam, Netherlands. Planting trees in urban areas can reduce the impacts of urban heat islands. Dutch_Photos/Shutterstock

Planting more trees could reduce premature heat-related deaths in European cities by a third – new research

In 2015, 6,700 premature deaths were caused by urban heat – this can be reduced by a third by planting more trees.
Photo: Jaana Dielenberg

Climate change threatens up to 100% of trees in Australian cities, and most urban species worldwide

Urban plantings are part of the solution to living in warmer cities, but most tree and shrub species in the world’s cities will struggle too. The impacts on liveability could be huge.
Rising global temperatures are increasing heat risks for outdoor workers and the urban poor. Ahmad Al-Rubaye/AFP via Getty Images

Dangerous urban heat exposure has tripled since the 1980s, with the poor most at risk

Hot, humid population centers are becoming epicenters of heat risk as climate changes worsens. It’s calling into question the conventional wisdom that urbanization uniformly reduces poverty.
Even without air conditioning, there are still many things you can do to prepare for extreme heat and stay comfortable on hot days. fizkes/Shutterstock

How to cope with extreme heat days without racking up the aircon bills

Air conditioning isn’t the answer for everyone, especially for residents of the less affluent – and often hotter – suburbs of our big cities. But there are other ways to make hot days more bearable.

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