This story is part of the Pulitzer Center’s nationwide连接的海岸线报告计划。

Summer temperatures in Chicago normally peak in the low 80s, but in mid-July 1995 theytopped 100°F with excessive humidityfor three days straight. Emergency rooms were overwhelmed with cases of heat exhaustion and heat stroke, especially in urban, low-income, and minority communities. By the time the heat wave receded, more than 700 people had died.

芝加哥热浪刺激了一些城市开始为处于危险人群提供免费的空调。但在my lab在布法罗大学建筑与规划学院, which focuses on reducing climate change impacts on cities and buildings, we have found that air conditioning and other fossil fuel cooling systems can create long-term risks even as they solve short-term problems. As climate change makes heat waves整个地区和国家更加频繁, cities will need more tools to protect their residents.

In the years following Chicago’s 1995 extreme heat event, researchers tried to understand what had caused so many excessive illnesses and deaths. Some experts argued that Chicago’s 700 deaths were a symptom ofongoing neglect and isolation美国城市中脆弱的居民。其他人接受了epidemiological approach, focusing on preexisting health conditions and demographic factors such as advanced age.

许多研究同意，获得空调的机会有助于保护人们免受与温度有关的疾病和死亡的影响。作为回应，一些市政当局开始为高风险人口提供免费的空调系统。此步骤帮助低收入居民，尽管许多人努力支付与保持房屋凉爽相关的更高电费。

但是，有一个更大的难题：空调在热浪期间冷却人们，但是无论化石燃料在哪里提供电力，运行的空调都会有助于全球变暖。冷却系统还应对电网，可能在需求高时期引起布朗特和停电。

Great Lakes residents at risk

In the Great Lakes region, climate change models anticipate that global warming will increase the risk, intensity and duration of temperature extremes. This forecast presents a challenge for cities like Rochester, New York, which typically only experience about 12 days over 90°F in the summer. By the end of the century,夏季超过70天可能在该温度范围内。

In addition, cities including Detroit, Toledo, Cleveland, and Buffalo have人口老龄化and高贫困率。这两个因素都会增加脆弱性。

在空调出现之前，被动冷却系统是建筑设计的规范。窗帘，浅色材料和涂料，绝缘和自然通风都在室内降低温度。最近，研究人员对”对“被动生存能力,” or systems that don’t require electricity but still protect people during a brownout or blackout.

被动系统很容易被建筑师纳入新建筑物的设计中，但是现有房屋需要改造。自1970年代以来，联邦资助Weatherization Assistance Programhas provided billions of dollars to help low-income households protect themselves from winter weather and save money by making their homes more energy efficient.

不幸的是，这些计划通常不会投资于冷气候城市的冷却策略，因为这些措施不符合其成本效益测试。这代表了保护居民免遭夏季热浪的错失机会。

Making homes safer through weatherization

一个s the COVID-19 pandemic has shown, access to safe housing is a critical resource. A national evaluation of the Weatherization Assistance Program indicates that weatherized homes may be贝蒂r equipped to provide safe, healthy environmentsin times of need.

For example, programs like the “Warm and Dry” effort from人们联合可持续住房在布法罗provide basic repairsthat can stop the growth of mold indoors. Other weatherization providers give advice on cleaning and maintenance that can reduce the number of asthma attacks.

不幸的是，由于资金限制，气候化计划无法确保每个有资格的家庭中必要的维修。而且，进行简单的家庭维修可能非常困难，尤其是对于财务资源有限的家庭而言。

例如，打开窗户在热浪中至关重要，但是在许多较旧的房屋中，窗户可能已经绘制了几次。在拥有该国最古老的住房库存之一的布法罗（Buffalo）等城市中，打破窗户可能需要几步。

一旦释放了窗户，通常需要修复损坏的锁或平衡机制。应该安装屏幕，因为打开的窗户可以允许昆虫或其他害虫进入房屋。窗户上的任何铅涂料都需要安全地卸下。旧窗户含有高浓度的铅基油漆和涂料，可以导致铅中毒。

改善家庭的挑战,我巴厘岛eve that federal and state governments should begin to examine ways in which weatherization can help prepare our communities to shelter in place in the future from heat waves, extreme precipitation and other forms of气候怪异。

一个weatherization stimulus

2009年国会通过了美国恢复和再投资法应对正在进行的金融危机。该法律授权一次性增加50亿美元的气候资金。

一个能源分析部表明该计划平均为家庭节省了3,190美元，将二氧化碳排放量减少了730万吨，并创造了28,000个工作岗位。该机构在2019年报告说，每一美元都投资于气候化回报了1.72美元的能源节省和2.78美元的其他利益。

国会已经通过了2万亿美元的联邦刺激套餐帮助美国经济从冠状病毒大流行中恢复过来，并预计会有更多的救援包，可能包括infrastructure investments。In my view, expanding the Weatherization Assistance Program could put unemployed people back to work, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and help our cities prepare for an uncertain climate future.

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-尼古拉斯·拉杰科维奇（Nicholas Rajkovich）是建筑助理教授纽约州立大学布法罗大学。This article is republished fromThe Conversation在创意共享许可下。阅读original article here。