ALBANY, N.Y. (NEXSTAR) — The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) on Monday announced the launch of a new study on urban heat islands. The DEC said the study, a nearly $2 million partnership with the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF), will assess heat impacts on disadvantaged New Yorkers.
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According to Scientific American, heat kills more people than floods, tornadoes, and hurricanes combined. In cities, concrete and asphalt amplify heat, and buildings push out vegetation, slowing the flow of fresh air. Cities with stronger urban heat island (UHI) effects have a harder time cooling their homes at night. This leads to poor air quality, skyrocketing energy bills, and rising temperatures.
According to the EPA, the hottest neighborhoods with the fewest resources are often the result of discrimination like redlining, and so today these poor communities are disproportionately affected by extreme heat. These poor urban residents suffer more from heatwaves and are more likely to die from heatstroke and heat exhaustion.
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“Extreme heat events are becoming more frequent in New York state and across the nation, causing significant environmental impacts and posing risks to public health, especially in disadvantaged communities,” said Sean Maher, interim chair of the Environmental Protection Committee.
The project, funded by the State Environmental Defense Fund, aims to find solutions for disadvantaged communities. DEC said studying when, how and why temperatures rise in the concrete jungle compared to the surrounding countryside will help find ways to mitigate New York’s UHI. Dr. Theodore Endreny from SUNY ESF is leading the partnership to map hotspots and identify places to invest in green infrastructure.
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“Urban forests and their green cooling services are needed now more than ever to protect vulnerable communities from deadly heat waves,” Joanie Mahoney, president of the SUNY Institute for Environmental and Forest Studies, said in a written statement.
Their data will help guide community planning for tree planting, which appears to be the most frequently proposed mitigation measure, according to a DEC release. Both the EPA and DEC have repeatedly emphasized the importance of trees and green spaces for lowering temperatures, while experts frequently point to vehicle infrastructure as a big contributor to the problem, especially dark asphalt roads that absorb and radiate heat.
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To this end, Governor Kathy Hawkle announced more than $7 million in grant funding for urban forestry projects. DEC’s Urban and Community Forestry Program is administering the funds to 23 cities.
City of Albany: $420,260 Village of Athens: $340,633 City of Batavia: $452,732 Big Initiatives, Inc. (Brooklyn): $407,457 City of Binghamton: $33,333 Clinton County: $229,622 City of Cortland: $65,000 City of Dunkirk: $122,446 Evergreen Cemetery Preservation Foundation (Brooklyn): $500,000 City of Glen Cove: $25,706 Greenwood Cemetery (Manhattan): $498,035 City of Kingston: $491,550 Town of Massena: $231,342 Natural Areas Conservancy (Bronx): $394,658 City of New Rochelle: $35,000Orleans County: $468,479 Orange County: $63,154 Randall’s Island Park (Manhattan): $497,742 City of Rochester: $199,625 City of Syracuse: $495,283 City of Troy: $317,600 City of Watertown: $400,000 Woodlawn Conservation District (Bronx): $473,392 Governor Hawke activates National Guard and Emergency Operations Center to combat heat wave
Nine of these projects explicitly support the planting and management of ash trees. According to the DEC, the emerald ash borer threatens all ash trees in New York. August is Tree Inspection Month in New York.
In mid-July, the two hottest days in Earth’s history were recorded, according to the Associated Press. Experts believe climate change is exacerbating the heat island effect, rather than causing it. And on Monday, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer called for increased funding for weather forecasting after a storm that shook New York state with more than 20 tornadoes.
