Katherine Idziorek discusses Charlotte’s heat plan with WFAE
Katherine Idziorek, assistant professor in the Department of Earth, Environmental and Geographical Sciences, was interviewed for WFAE’s article, ‘Doors open, fans on, trees to come: Charlotte’s heat plan in action.’
During the latest heat wave, Charlotte residents are feeling the impacts of hotter temperatures. The city has implemented more immediate solutions such as opening cooling centers and passing out fans, while also committing to planting trees and powering all municipal, commercial, industrial and residential buildings from zero carbon sources by 2050.
Due to the urban heat island effect of dense development replacing natural landcover, Charlotte is significantly hotter than surrounding rural areas. According to the Charlotte Heat Mappers, an interdisciplinary team of UNC Charlotte researchers which Idziorek leads, it can feel 10 degrees hotter in Charlotte than it does in the more rural Wadesboro.
“Expanding the number and distribution of cooling centers that we have, making sure that everybody has access to a free, accessible space that has cooling, especially if they don’t have it in their home or if their cooling is unreliable, is really important,” Idziorek said.
There is currently no state law requiring North Carolina landlords to provide air conditioning, and even when A/C units are present, utility costs are an increasing financial burden. Children and senior citizens are at a disproportionate risk of heat-related emergencies.
“We need to be thinking about long-term development,” Idziorek said. “We need to be thinking about those short-term actions. We need to think about how we can, within our communities, do what we can to support our neighbors and community members.”