If you’ve gone outside at all in Salt Lake City this summer, you’ve probably noticed how hot it is. We’ve reached highs above 100 degrees, and average temperatures this past June were six degrees higher than normal.
Everyone loves summer heat — but this summer heat is a little more dangerous and a lot less fun.
Temperatures above 100 degrees cause higher rates of dehydration, heat stroke and exhaustion. Unfortunately, we can’t control the sun. As the effects of climate change worsen, we must reconsider our mitigation strategies.
So, how do we beat the heat?
First, we need to understand the problem. Over the past 50 years, our temperatures have risen at around twice the rate of global temperatures. Our water crisis intensifies this, and higher temperatures stress our already limited water sources.
These problems have necessitated that we take another look at our green infrastructure. However, when doing so, we must consider how equitable our solutions are.
Heat mapping can teach us about equity — it shows us that the effects of the rising temperatures are really uneven. We can look at historical policies to explain this. Redlining was a common practice in the 50s that discouraged banks from offering loans to minority families looking to purchase homes in white-dominated neighborhoods. Before it was outlawed, practices like redlining segregated the city, causing disinvestment from those minority neighborhoods. Those impacts of disinvestment are still being felt today, and are increasingly apparent when looking at heat maps of Salt Lake City’s west side. Those neighborhoods have higher temperatures and are more vulnerable to heat-related issues because they have less tree shade, public parks and green infrastructure to help protect them.
Some really interesting and novel solutions have been proposed to help solve our green infrastructure problem. The Green Loop is a proposed green space that includes protected and shaded pedestrian areas, but it only goes as far as 500 W. The proposed improvements include pavilions and integrated parks, but those spaces are being added in places that already have parks.
I urge you to encourage our public officials to look into expanding the loop or offering a similar construction plan for other parts of the city. Likewise, Mayor Erin Mendenhall has committed to planting more trees in Salt Lake City, but trees die at a faster rate on the west side, creating a heat cycle.
Coupled with other issues, such as inefficient watering and weather phenomena, like our windstorm in 2020, we need to make a bigger effort to keep our trees alive — not just worry about planting them.
These solutions are good — but they’re not enough. Warming will only get worse if we don’t make an effort, and it’s important we prioritize creating equitable, impactful change through our green infrastructure. I love our city’s outdoors. Utah’s gorgeous landscape is what attracts and keeps so many people here. Everyone should be able to enjoy their summers; let’s make strides to lift all our neighborhoods up.
Amrita Krishna is a rising sophomore in college. She has previously interned for the Utah Attorney General's Office and the Public Library Association.
Amrita Krishna is a rising sophomore in college. She has previously interned for the Utah Attorney General’s Office and the Public Library Association.
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