{"id":230882,"date":"2025-09-16T08:12:09","date_gmt":"2025-09-16T08:12:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/230882\/"},"modified":"2025-09-16T08:12:09","modified_gmt":"2025-09-16T08:12:09","slug":"how-is-new-york-city-keeping-its-residents-cool","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/230882\/","title":{"rendered":"How is New York City keeping its residents cool?\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"

Megan Hall<\/strong>: Welcome to Possibly, where we take on huge problems like the future of our planet and break them down into small questions with unexpected answers. I\u2019m Megan Hall.\u00a0<\/p>\n

As average temperatures go up around the globe, we\u2019re all experiencing more extreme heat, especially in major cities<\/a>, where lots of cement, and not a lot of trees, absorb heat and make things even hotter. Today we\u2019re looking into how the US\u2019s biggest city, New York, is finding ways to keep its residents cool.<\/p>\n

Emma Mejia and Isha Thakkar from our Possibly Team have the details<\/p>\n

Emma Mejia:<\/strong> Hi, Megan!\u00a0<\/p>\n

Isha Thakkar:<\/strong> Hello!\u00a0<\/p>\n

Megan Hall: <\/strong>So how is New York dealing with extreme heat?\u00a0<\/p>\n

Emma Mejia<\/strong>: That\u2019s a great question. New York City has spent a lot of time working on ways to deal with the effects of climate change and extreme heat.<\/p>\n

Ashwin Vasan:<\/strong> We have been planning for a climate mitigation and adaptation for many, many years, there\u2019s been a whole host of initiatives.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Isha Thakkar:<\/strong> That\u2019s Dr. Ashwin Vasan, a physician and the former Commissioner of the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Emma Mejia:<\/strong> Dr. Vasan says that extreme heat kills hundreds of New Yorkers a year.\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n

Ashwin Vasan:<\/strong> We treat that in public health as entirely preventable. And so we put forth a multi pronged strategy to try to prevent as many of those deaths as possible.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Megan Hall:<\/strong> What kind of steps has the city been taking?\u00a0<\/p>\n

Isha Thakkar<\/strong>: One of the most important steps<\/a> is making sure people have access to air conditioning.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Ashwin Vasan<\/strong>: Air conditioning, especially in light of a warming planet, in a warming city, warming urban environments, is a necessity.<\/p>\n

Isha Thakkar<\/strong>: To help, with this issue, in 2020, the city installed air conditioners in public housing units<\/a>. New York City also offers a Cooling Assistance program<\/a> to help low-income New Yorkers cover the cost of buying an air conditioner<\/p>\n

Emma Mejia<\/strong>: The city also has programs that help people\u00a0afford to keep the AC on when they need it.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Ashwin Vasan<\/strong>: What we are working on things like our Home Energy Assistance Program <\/a>with the state of New York, we have reduced energy bills by millions of dollars for low income families. So that they can then afford to turn on that AC\u00a0<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Isha Thakkar:<\/strong> The city has also been brainstorming ways to encourage landlords to keep it cooler indoors<\/p>\n

Megan Hall<\/strong>: How would the city do that?\u00a0<\/p>\n

Emma Mejia<\/strong>: Well, last year the city council proposed a bill that would establish a maximum temperature policy for New York City buildings in the summer<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Isha Thakkar:<\/strong> This bill would require landlords to provide cooling systems that keep units 78 degrees or cooler when the temperature is above 82 degrees outside.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Megan Hall<\/strong>: What else is New York city doing to keep people cool?\u00a0<\/p>\n

Isha Thakkar:<\/strong> They\u2019re also expanding access to cooling centers.<\/a> in places like local libraries, senior centers, and community centers.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Emma Mejia<\/strong>: Private businesses can also opt into the cooling program. So that means they can offer their coffee shop, museum, or store as an option<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Aswhin Vasaan<\/strong>: It\u2019s not just about government sites. It\u2019s about the whole city\u2019s approach to ensuring that no one has to suffer the effects of extreme heat unnecessarily.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Isha Thakkar<\/strong>: And remember, not all cooling options are indoors.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Emma Mejia<\/strong>: In 2024 the city announced a plan to invest\u00a0 over a billion dollars into pool infrastructure and swim lessons<\/a>, to help residents have more places to cool down.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Ashwin Vasan<\/strong>: Cooling off in a public pool nearby is a great way to address extreme heat as well.<\/p>\n

Megan Hall:<\/strong> But, how does the city decide where to focus these cooling efforts?<\/p>\n

Emma Mejia:<\/strong> Good question. The city uses a heat vulnerability index or HVI <\/a>to identify those who are the most susceptible to the effects of extreme heat.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Ashwin Vasan<\/strong>: So your heat vulnerability index is a map of extreme heat and heat patterns across the city, mapped over social and economic metrics like poverty, inequality, and access to health care.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Emma Mejia:<\/strong> The city is trying to map those cooling options and cooling centers to the communities that need them the most.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Megan Hall<\/strong>: Got it! Thanks, Isha and Emma<\/p>\n

That\u2019s it for today. You can find more information, or ask a question about the way your choices affect our planet, at askpossibly.org<\/a>. You can also subscribe to Possibly wherever you get your podcasts or follow us on Instagram<\/a>, Facebook<\/a>, LinkedIn<\/a>, or Bluesky<\/a> at\u00a0 \u201caskpossibly\u201d<\/p>\n

Possibly is a co-production of Brown University\u2019s Institute for Environment and Society, Brown\u2019s Climate Solutions Initiative, and The Public\u2019s Radio.<\/p>\n

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