Rising Temperatures and Extreme Heat

Extreme heat represents one of the most severe climate risks globally, with its impacts particularly pronounced in urban areas. 2024 was the hottest year on record, with August setting a new monthly global temperature record. Extreme heat triggers a range of impacts, including heightened health risks, population displacement, and an expanded wildfire season, all of which exacerbate each other.

In response, communities are intensifying efforts to address these dangers. In July 2024, Nevada Senator Jacky Rosen proposed a bill that would classify extreme heat as a major disaster, aiming to ensure more funding and resources are made available to states affected by extreme heat.  Extreme heat’s rising death toll is leading to calls to reclassify extreme heat as a federal disaster and for government agencies at all levels to address this growing threat. As a start, in 2024 the interagency National Integrated Heat Health Information System released the first-ever U.S. national heat strategy.

Some innovations and experimentation are on the horizon to combat extreme heat. In Spain, Madrid is experimenting with wind gardens to cool down parts of the city by up to 4°C, a coalition of U.S. cities is working to roll out innovative data analysis tools to identify and quickly remedy major heat impacts, and in Switzerland, Lake Geneva is being tapped to cool buildings. Planners everywhere should be prepared for the consequences of rising temperatures and work to understand how mitigation and adaptation measures can be implemented in their communities. Such strategies are explored in PAS Report 600, Planning for Urban Heat Resilience, and PAS QuickNotes 95, "Urban Heat Resilience."