Rising Temperatures and Urban Heat

Extreme heat is one of the deadliest climate risks worldwide, and in urban areas, its effects are especially pronounced. 2023 was thehottest yearon record, and August saw170 million Americansplaced under dangerous heat advisories. Extreme heat has a cascade of impacts, including increased health risks, population displacement, and an expanded wildfire season, all of which compound each other. Communities are working to better characterize the danger posed by extreme heat and to develop strategies and tools for mitigating its impacts, and theNational League of Cities and U.S. Conference of Mayorsare urging Congress to pass proposed bipartisan legislation that would explicitly include extreme heat in the federal government's definition of a major disaster.