Urban heat is getting dangerous. What’s causing it?

In 10 seconds? Cities have become more at risk of heat exposure due to increased populations, global warming and the urban heat island effect, researchers have found.

What is happening in urban areas? The risk of heat exposure coupled with humidity in urban populations is growing due to urban wet bulb temperatures (TW, a humid temperature recording to measure peak heat stress) increasingly exceeding 30 °C. At this temperature our ability to efficiently shed heat is significantly impacted. According to research, if wet bulb temperature reaches the 35 °C threshold, our bodies’ cooling mechanisms become completely ineffective, hyperthermia sets in and we become unable to survive more than a few hours in such conditions, even with unlimited drinking water.