The City of Phoenix is developing a Climate Action Plan and President Biden’s Build Back Better plan, aiming to combat the rising number of heat-related deaths.
Maricopa County recorded a total of 113 heat related deaths so far this year. Heat waves are the biggest weather-related killer over the past 30 years.
When it comes to heat waves, the elderly and homeless are the most at risk. In 2020, Maricopa County’s Heat Death Report found that 61% of heat-associated deaths were of those 50 or older. According to the AZCentral, those experiencing homelessness accounted for over half of heat-related deaths last year.
The City of Phoenix’s Climate Action Plan maps out a path for the city to add zero net carbon to the atmosphere (carbon neutrality) by 2050. It includes increasing canopy shading in public areas, sustainable transportation, and a composting facility.
The Build Back Better Plan, created by the Biden administration is a plan intended to boost the economy, support working families, and address specific national concerns. This includes universal preschool, affordable housing, job training programs, and new clean energy standards.
Heat waves are only predicted to be hotter and last longer, due to city expansion and global warming.
Hazel Chandler, a national board member for Elders Climate Action, says that Phoenix’s Climate Action plan maps a great path to combat climate change, but it needs the infrastructure dollars from the Build Back Better plan.
“Without the infrastructure dollars that are in the Build Back Better plan, being able to meet the long term goals of what they’re trying to set, 50% (carbon neutrality) by 2030 and 100% (carbon neutrality) by 2050, are going to be virtually impossible.”
Hazel Chandler says the places most vulnerable to climate disasters are the ones who have the least. The ability to evacuate or protect from climate disasters is limited by the resources people have. Poor city planning and housing design in lower-income neighborhoods also contribute to the threat of climate change and disasters.
Heat can exacerbate existing health conditions in older adults, such as heart failure and diabetes, increasing their risk for illness and even death. Because climate change enhances and extends heat waves, climate change is as much of a health crisis as it is an environmental one.
Phoenix has attempted to address the impact of heat waves by providing “cooling stations” throughout the city. “Cooling buses” sit outside homeless encampments and provide an air-conditioned shelter for those who need it.
The largest cooling shelter available last year, the Phoenix Convention Center, is closed this year due to events throughout the summer.
Phoenix seeks to address the consequences of heat waves by increasing green infrastructure. The city experiences the “urban heat island effect”, which is characterized by higher temperatures within the city due to few natural landscapes. Increasing the amount of plants and shade reduces the effect of this phenomenon.
In Arizona, the city of Tucson and Flagstaff have declared climate emergencies. Both cities are dedicating themselves to being carbon neutral by 2030.
On the state level, there has been little action on the climate crisis. State law prevents state agencies from monitoring greenhouse gases, one of the main drivers of climate change.
Arizona will continue to see the effects of climate as the years go by. However, preventative measures taken now can lessen the impact of climate disasters for years to come.
Contact the reporter at kbippus@asu.edu.
