In Ahmedabad, escalating temperatures due to climate change are critically affecting the local population, particularly informal workers. Harvard Medical School researchers are partnering with community organizers to gather essential data on extreme heat's impact, including microclimate variances that official measurements don't capture. The project aims to create one of the largest datasets to inform local heat action plans and advocate for targeted policies to protect vulnerable groups. Understanding how adaptation measures like reflective roofing can mitigate heat is crucial for devising effective public health strategies in this climate crisis.
When it gets hot in Ahmedabad, bats pass out and fall from the trees. Climate change is forcing temperatures into the upper limits of what many mammals, including humans, can bear.
Adapting to this new reality is a matter of life or death. But to test adaptation strategies - say, how much does a white roof cool the room below? - urban planners need basic data.
Ahmedabad's official temperature is measured at an airport weather station standing out in the open, not in the dense urban microclimates where homes and livelihoods are concentrated. And how does the body respond to prolonged high temperatures?
Harvard researchers are working with community leaders in India to build one of the largest datasets ever recorded on extreme heat and human well-being.
Collection
[
|
...
]