Record-high summer temps are here — how can our communities beat the heat?

Earth experienced the hottest day ever recorded on Jul. 3. Across the U.S., climate change is making summers hotter, and the data speak volumes: heat waves are becoming more common, lasting longer, and are more intense.

Depending on our heat-trapping gas emissions over the next decade, summers in the U.S. are expected to include 20 to 30 more days with temperatures above 90 degrees Fahrenheit by or before 2050, directly threatening American residents’ health. This summer, thousands of Americans will experience health and wellness challenges due to extreme heat, resulting in an associated $1 billion in health care costs.

With worsening climate change, it is up to the federal government, alongside local and state governments, to act swiftly and continue to invest in a whole-of-government approach to track extreme heat, protect communities, mitigate health risks, and implement policies to reduce heat-trapping gas emissions.

Medical experts have warned that the intensifying hot weather increases the risk of serious heat-related illnesses. The costs to our health care system are not trivial. The Center for American Progress, based on research conducted at Virginia Commonwealth University, reports that extreme heat events result in nearly 7,000 additional emergency department visits and almost 2,000 extra heat-related hospital admissions in Virginia each summer alone. Extreme heat also has severe economic impacts such as reducing workforce productivity and student learning, in addition to damaging our ecosystem. The negative effects of extreme heat are far-reaching and unforgiving.

The growing risks of extreme heat are felt unevenly across our communities. Studies have shown a historic link between areas that were historically racially segregated and those that are vulnerable to extreme heat today.

In Richmond, Va., for instance, some people live in “heat islands” where they are exposed to much hotter temperatures compared to those just a couple of miles away. The same is true in other cities across the country. These heat islands are often in the same neighborhoods that were subject to redlining in the early 20th century. This intentionally prevented Black people from obtaining home loans, stifling intergenerational wealth and investment in essential community infrastructure like parks, tree canopies and quality affordable housing.

Even in cities or towns that were not redlined, there are clear and ubiquitous links between the color of your skin and the temperature of your neighborhood.

In addition to more extreme heat days, climate change is expected to increase temperatures at night, when our bodies usually rest and recover. The impacts of heat stress will continue to be more severe as these nighttime temperatures rise, and individuals on the frontlines of climate change — primarily non-white communities — are already experiencing this first, and worst. Without the break from the heat, community members suffer, and negative health impacts will continue to increase.

Addressing the dangers of extreme heat requires a multipronged strategy. Last summer, Congress passed and President Joe Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act. It may be the most significant climate legislation in U.S. history, with provisions to accelerate the adoption of a clean energy economy, create new jobs, reduce pollution, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by roughly 40 percent from 2005 levels.

But we need greater action on the local level, too. Communities must make heat mitigation a priority by planting trees, installing heat-reflective roofing, expanding green space access, and making changes to our built environment that reduce heat exposure. On top of this, many states and localities are preparing for this impending threat by appointing officers dedicated to heat management and by revising their city and emergency response plans.

In Richmond, residents, government officials, community organizations and private institutions like the Science Museum of Virginia are working together to convert unused land or asphalt into green spaces, planting trees to improve shade covering, and proposing lighter colored roads and roofs to reduce the impact of extreme heat.

Local leaders and institutions must build community capacity to handle heat emergencies, such as Richmond’s effort to expand cooling center hours at local libraries. This is just one way that communities can use existing resources to help their citizenry.

Additionally, to support Richmond’s sustainability goals and the natural environment, we launched the RVAgreen 2050 program in 2017, with one of its main goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 45 percent by 2030. This program created a “Green Team” to help identify pieces of city-owned land that can be converted into greenspaces. So far, this initiative has increased the accessibility of parks and recreational spaces for all Richmonders by increasing walkability to 80 percent for city residents. Most recently, we announced the availability of $865,000 for our Neighborhood Climate Resilience Grant Program, which will support the work of non-profit organizations and partners in Richmond on the frontlines of climate change.

But there is still so much work to be done. Unfortunately, change around the nation is occurring too slowly. Efforts to roll back climate policies and weaken the authority of environmental agencies put us at greater risk, and failing to act is a price we cannot afford. Extreme heat is here, and the impact on our communities is already being felt. We must take action now to keep our communities safe from extreme heat.

Levar Stoney is the mayor of Richmond, Va. Jeremy Hoffman, Ph.D., is director of climate justice and impact at Groundwork USA; affiliate faculty in the Wilder School and Center for Environmental Studies at Virginia Commonwealth University; and co-chair of land identification for Mayor Stoney’s “Green Team.”