Climate Action
6 Smart Ways U.S Communities Beat the Heat
July 24, 2025
With the temperatures rising everywhere, summers aren’t quite what they used to be. Heat waves are arriving earlier in the year, lasting longer and raising temperatures to record high numbers.
This isn’t just uncomfortable, it’s dangerous. Extreme heat is the number one weather-related cause of death in the U.S., killing more people per year than tornadoes, hurricanes and floods combined. But not every neighborhood is equally at risk – or equally prepared. Here are six ways communities across the world are pitching in to keep their residents safe.
1. Tree Canopy Projects = “Shade Equity”
If you’ve ever thought that it feels hotter in some parts of a city than others, you’re not imagining it. That’s the Urban Heat Island Effect, where city infrastructure like roads and buildings absorb and then re-emit heat, raising local temperatures by 1–7°F on average, and sometimes even higher in the hottest neighborhood.
The effect is harsher in areas with less trees, where access to shade has not been routinely planted. Historically low-income and redlined areas, a neighborhood unfairly and historically labeled as “high risk” by banks because it was home to racial minorities, have less tree coverage and more pavement, which absorbs and then re-admits more heat.
In over 100 U.S. cities that were formerly redlined, we find average temperatures about 2.6°C (4.7°F) warmer than non-redlined neighborhoods in the same city. For example, in New York City, neighborhoods like the South Bronx—which are predominantly Black and Latino—regularly experience summer temperatures that are hotter than wealthier, greener neighborhoods like the Upper East and West Sides. A typical summer afternoon can see temperatures in the South Bronx easily reach 88–89°F, while areas around Central Park peak at only 80–82°F. This extreme heat difference is linked to less tree coverage, more pavement, and older, inefficient housing. As a result, the South Bronx sees higher rates of heat-related illnesses and deaths compared to the cooler, tree covered wealthier neighborhoods.
This is why cities like Los Angeles and Richmond are investing in tree-planting campaigns that target areas with low tree canopy coverage. They use tree equity score maps to find out where planting shade trees will provide the most amount of benefit and will have the biggest health impact. This creates cooler streets, cleaner air and a much needed shelter from the heat more quietly for everyone.
EARTHDAY.ORG runs a Canopy Project to plant trees globally for the benefit of local communities.
2. Solar Problems Need Solar Solutions
During heat waves, air conditioning can be lifesaving. Studies have shown having consistent access to an air conditioned space significantly reduces the health risks associated with heat exposure and may be the most effective way to prevent them.
In a perfect world, everyone could blast their home and place of work with Air Conditioning (AC) when it gets too hot. However, despite the benefits home air conditioning units provide, high implementation, maintenance and running costs mean not everyone has access to it. Some communities even get their power shut off during heat emergencies.
In response, more states and cities have expanded access to the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, a federally funded utility assistance program that helps low-income individuals with cooling costs. During declared heat emergencies, some utility companies voluntarily pause shutoffs, and in 19 U.S. states, companies cannot disconnect customers during designated time periods.
Air conditioning is also a huge energy vampire – communities should rely more on solar energy where possible to create energy that does not contribute to global warming and utilises the hot weather to help cool us down. It’s a way to turn the problems solar energy causes to create solutions and is why EDO made the Earth Day theme for 2025 ‘Our Power Our Planet’, calling for a global tripling of renewable energy generation by 2030.
3. Creating Cooling Centers
To combat unequal access to air conditioning and shade as well as make locations to escape the worst of the heat more available, cities across the U.S are transforming existing facilities like libraries and government buildings into temporary cooling centers, public spaces that provide refuge from heat and occasionally distribute water and other materials.
Every summer, cooling centers are becoming more common across the country. The process for finding and accessing cooling centers differs across states, but residents can generally find information about them by contacting a state’s 2-1-1.
4. Cool Roofs and Pavement
Traditional black shingle roofs, used across North America, soak up and trap heat, forcing air conditioning to work harder and making it even hotter inside buildings while raising your electric bill. Luckily, some cities are turning to lighter, cooler roofs and pavement to mitigate the sun’s effects.
New York’s Cool Roof Program, for example, provides individuals paid training and work experience installing reflective coating to roofs. Coating rooftops in white or reflective materials can reduce indoor temperatures by up to 30 percent.
This strategy doesn’t stop at roofs, either. Cities like Chicago and Los Angeles are testing cool pavement, painting roads and sidewalks lighter shades to reduce high surface temperatures. This not only reduces the effects of the Urban Heat Island Effect, but has the added bonus of improving nighttime visibility, because they reflect more ambient light, making streets brighter and safer without extra energy use.
These lighter pavements have two other added bonuses – they also reduce stormwater runoff temperature and volume by allowing better water infiltration and evaporation, which helps prevent thermal pollution and improves water quality in nearby waterways. While it seems like a simple solution, lighter pavement is a game changer for workers on the street, kids walking to school and even pets with hot paws!
5. The Role of Dedicated Chief Heat Officers
In many city government’s, heat-wave preparedness and recovery is overseen by multiple departments, making a unified response less likely. Cities like Miami and Los Angeles have streamlined this process by appointing new, dedicated public officials like Chief Heat Officers, whose role focuses on responding to heat emergencies and organizing local governments into action.
Putting one person in charge of coordinating heat preparedness and recovery efforts allows cities to more effectively and efficiently identify the communities with the highest need, mobilize city governments, coordinate stakeholders and implement long term solutions.
6. Community Fridges
Effective responses to heat don’t always have to come from the government, but neighbors too. Grassroot efforts across the country have led to the creation of community fridges stocked with water, ice packs, cold drinks, and fruit.
Some volunteers deliver cooling kits with fans, hats, sunscreen, and information on local resources, to seniors or the homeless. Others run hydration stations in busy areas.
So, even when the government can’t (or won’t) fully step up, there is still something you can do to help.
Bottom Line?
Climate scientists predict that heat waves will continue to grow in frequency, length and intensity in the U.S and globally. But we’re not helpless against them.
There are always ways to get involved in climate action and help protect yourself and your neighbors from extreme heat. You can start by joining the movement today.
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