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  • NEWS FEATURE

Racism is magnifying the deadly impact of rising city heat

Scientists are mapping correlations between race, poverty and heat in cities, and suggesting solutions to reduce the dangers.
  1. Alexandra Witze
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On a New York city street a woman holds an umbrella to protect her from the sun, as a man behind walks with a zimmer frame

New York City residents endured near-record high temperatures in late June during a heatwave that caused power outages. Credit: Mark Kauzlarich/Bloomberg/Getty

Luis Rodriguez holed up in his kids’ bedroom last month as a brutal heatwave baked his Los Angeles neighbourhood and the rest of the southwestern United States. The space was their only room with an air-conditioning unit, and the safest place in the house when temperatures outside soared above 40 °C.

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Nature 595, 349-351 (2021)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-021-01881-4

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