U.S. cities want more research from scientists to help them handle extreme heat — especially the way high temperatures influence human behavior and health.
That was the message from a panel discussion Wednesday at Columbia University. Officials from Miami and New York City shared their heat research wishlists, and social studies — centered on high-risk populations — made the top of the list.
The use of cooling centers — specifically, who goes to them and why — was a big question for Isabelle Thomas, a policy adviser in the New York City mayor’s office.
“Why do people go to cooling centers? Why don’t people go to cooling centers?” she asked. “What is their perception of the urgency — or lack thereof — as it relates to extreme heat?”