Unequal urban heat burdens impede climate justice and equity goals

Unequal urban heat burdens between Global North and Global South urban settlements

Extreme heat is among the deadliest of weather-related hazards, exerting far-reaching impacts on the natural environment and human society globally. Its risk has been rising worldwide over the past decades, particularly in densely populated urban settlements in which more than half the world’s population live.1,2 This rise is primarily attributed to anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, of which the dominant share is contributed by the Global North.1 The Global North comprises economically developed countries with higher levels of industrialization, technology, infrastructures, energy consumption, and GHG emissions (e.g., North America and West Europe) whose cities are major emission hotspots.