Extreme heat doesn’t discriminate; the ability to escape it does.
Extreme heat
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Hiking in the heat
A conversation with the head of the preventive search and rescue program in Joshua Tree National Park.
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Tending the shoots of possibility
On the 50th anniversary of the Endangered Species Act, a researcher contemplates the future of species we’ve tried to protect.
Posted inNovember 1, 2023: November 1, 2023
The climate crisis is pushing Washington’s prisons to the brink
Why not let people out?
Posted inNovember 1, 2023: November 1, 2023
How Green River celebrates its melon farmers
Thousands turn out for Melon Days, but the future looks uncertain.
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Q&A: Sacramento Homeless Union fights to end encampment sweeps during extreme heat
Activists are invoking emergency legal measures to protect unhoused communities.
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Extreme heat hits the rural Southwest
How community members keep one another safe.
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Yes, 90 degrees can be dangerous
From a jump in ER visits and gun violence to fears for maternal health, the Northwest’s May heat wave shows the dangers of more moderate, early heat waves.
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In the once-cool forests of the Pacific Northwest, heat poses a new threat
Drought can stress trees to death, but heat’s effects are less known. New research could hold the keys to protecting conifer forests.
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The West’s hottest county is also its most Latino
Some places in Imperial County, California, experienced 117 days above 100 degrees this year.
Posted inJune 1, 2022: A Legacy of Weapons and War
When the heat is unbearable but there’s nowhere to go
How last year’s record-breaking heat wave caused misery and chaos for Washington’s incarcerated population — and why it’s set to happen all over again.
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How to cool one of the fastest-warming cities in the West
In Phoenix, a new heat office hopes to prevent more people from dying of extreme heat.
Posted inDecember 1, 2021: Visions of Wildness
How heat waves warp ecosystems
After the Northwest ‘heat dome’ this summer, scientists look for signs of ecological ruin — or resilience.
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Why investing in libraries is a climate justice issue
For vulnerable communities, libraries are increasingly becoming a refuge in times of disaster.
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Uncurbed climate change and extreme heat will extract a toll on outdoor labor
A new report forecasts the loss in workdays and wages if greenhouse gas emissions aren’t reined in.
Posted inSeptember 1, 2020: The Next West
Extreme heat is here, and it’s deadly
Gearing up for the fight against a new climate enemy.
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Record heat in Alaska fuels wildfires
Anchorage sees 90 F as nearly 120 fires blaze across the state.
Posted inFebruary 4, 2019: Nizhoni Girls
Extreme heat hits Tucson’s poor neighborhoods hardest
Where city efforts fall short, activists try to add shade to the heat-stressed south side.
Posted inAugust 20, 2018: Where the West is Moving - and Why
Farmworkers face illness and death in the fields
‘The reality is that the machinery of growers is taken better care of than the lives of farmworkers.’
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Extreme heat is killing people who lack shelter
Climate change is worsening the threats that homeless populations face.