Ladd Keith, Ph.D.

Tag: Pacific Northwest Heatwave 2021

America Adapts Podcast: Record-Breaking Heatwaves and More
I joined Doug Parsons on the latest America Adapts Podcast episode to discuss the record-breaking Southwest and Pacific Northwest/Western Canada heatwaves in June 2021, as well as thermal equity, why we shouldn’t shame indoor cooling, considerations in the naming and ranking heatwaves discussion, how we can improve media coverage of extreme heat events, my new Plan Integration for Resilience Scorecard for Heat (PIRSH) research project, and the latest developments in how cities are planning for heat resilience.

Listen at: Extreme Heat in the News, Naming Heat Waves, Thermal Equity and more with Dr. Ladd Keith

Heat-related resources I mentioned in the episode:
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) – Heat Island Effect Program
- U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) – Extreme Heat
- U.S. National Integrated Heat Health Information System (NIHHIS)
- U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) RISA (Regional Integrated Science and Assessments) Program
July 6, 2021
Op-Ed: Cities must plan for heat resilience now

With the increased attention to extreme heat events after the U.S. Southwest and then U.S. Pacific Northwest and Canadian heatwaves in June 2021, I wrote an op-ed piece on the urgent need to plan for heat resilience with Sara Meerow for the Reuters Thomson Foundation. A few short exceprts:

Summer just started in the Northern Hemisphere, but cities everywhere have already been impacted by unprecedented extreme heat and must plan for heat resilience now.

Urban planners and designers largely work in the area of reducing exposure to heat, while public health and emergency management focus on heat management. Cities should coordinate these strategies and ensure they are equitably distributed according to heat risk to avoid worst-case scenarios.

Read the full op-ed piece: Cities must plan for heat resilience now.

July 5, 2021

Tag: Pacific Northwest Heatwave 2021

America Adapts Podcast: Record-Breaking Heatwaves and More

Op-Ed: Cities must plan for heat resilience now