Comparing satellite images and Census 2000 data, a study co-authored by public health and environmental science professor Rachel Morello-Frosch has found that minorities are more likely to live in "urban heat islands" and are most at risk during heat waves. As a result, these populations will likely suffer the effects of climate change disproportionately. “Efforts to minimize heat risks in cities need to be more attuned to the racial disparities we see on a national scale,” she says. “We need to make sure that any heat mitigation strategies really focus on the most vulnerable communities.”
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Another story on this topic appeared in Popular Science.