Abstract

As cities grow worldwide, so too does the intensity of urban heat—disproportionately affecting those least equipped to adapt. A global study analyzing over 4.8 million urban grids from 2003 to 2018 reveals that surface urban heat island intensity (SUHII)—the temperature gap between urban and rural areas—increased at an average rate of 0.021 °C per year. However, this warming is escalating most rapidly in low- and lower-middle-income countries [2].