Extreme heat poses the most significant climate change-related threat to human life in New York City, according to a report from Mayor Eric Adams’ administration. Every year, roughly 350 deaths of New Yorkers are attributed to extreme heat. The city has designated 95°F as the threshold for extreme heat, and the number of days surpassing this temperature is on the rise. And as the mercury keeps rising, the number of deaths do, too.
That same report, which was issued last spring, outlined the city’s strategy to address this escalating issue, including a long-term objective to shroud 30% of the city in the cooling shade of tree canopies by 2035. The new trees will be planted in parks and line the city’s streets in areas particularly vulnerable to heat like Harlem and The Bronx.
One year on from that announcement, how much progress has been made toward this goal? Dominic Hall-Thomas takes listeners on a stroll through Central Park to find out:
About the author(s)
Dominic Hall-Thomas is a freelance radio producer from the United Kingdom studying for an M.S. at Columbia Journalism School.