How do we deal with this heat?
How one city treats heatwaves like hurricanes; plus an emissions-free ferry and reuse stories
Welcome back to The Planet You Save May Be Your Own, a newsletter on local & state climate action.
I’m Taylor Kate Brown and this newsletter grows by word-of-mouth. Someone share or forward this edition with you? Sign up here. You can also read and share this edition online.
Saving lives in disastrous heat
In my corner of the world (and many others), it's been an unrelentingly hot two weeks. When it comes to heat, climate change's impacts are here. The science of attributing extreme weather events to rising greenhouse gases levels in the atmosphere is actually clearest when it comes to heat. And it's not just new temperature records, but how long intense heat sticks around: cumulative exposure to heat is the most dangerous, especially for those without reliable methods of cooling.
So how do we adapt? This AP story highlights Miami's response, one that has apparently made it less deadly than other American cities dealing with dangerous heat. What's the secret sauce? Planning ahead:
When Jane Gilbert took over three years ago as the county’s heat officer, one of the first in an increasingly warmer nation, she said Mayor Daniella Levine Cava told her “I want you to prepare our people on the level that we do our hurricane season.”
Their preparation is a combination of public messaging, practical help for cooling and transportation and targeting new AC installs for places highest at risk for heat impacts. And last year, amid rising deaths attributed to high heat, Miami-Dade County had less than ten. Phoenix's home county recorded at least 645.
There's a caveat here, as heat deaths are often under reported, because its more often a trigger, not the direct cause of death. Even Miami's Gilbert points out the two numbers are not directly comparable:
Arizona city has made it a priority to make sure heat-related deaths are recorded that way, where other cities, including Miami, don’t. The way Miami tracks heat deaths is not nearly as comprehensive, she said. Also, Phoenix has more homeless who are more vulnerable because they don’t escape the heat indoors, she said.
While heat is a uncontrollable phenomenon, our infrastructure, and our policies are: think tree cover, cooling centers and worker protections. And you despite the Biden administration proposing new on-the-job federal safety standards around heat, much of our policies around heat are local: including state-by-state rules about utilities cutting off electricity for overdue bills during heat waves or Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signing a bill blocking requiring water and shade breaks for outdoor workers, a direct response to Miami-Dade's efforts.
A new type of ferry
Three years ago, I wrote a MicroClimates edition about emissions-free ferry about to start sailing in the San Francisco Bay. The Sea Change's owners announced it would become the first hydrogen-powered commercial ferry, and planned to test it with Hornblower Cruises that summer.
I'm not sure what happened between then and now, but the Sea Change started sailing this week, now with the local ferry public transit authority.
As this story from Canary Media outlines, ferries are heavy polluters and some companies running them are considering both battery and hydrogen fuel cell options to switch over.
While the Sea Change sailing represents a milestone, it's not quite emissions free yet. While burning hydrogen produces no emissions, the Sea Change's owners are currently buying hydrogen produced using fossil fuels, aka "gray" hydrogen as opposed to "green" hydrogen, produced through electrolysis.
Ralli said the company is committed to operating the ferry and future vessels with green hydrogen — made using zero-carbon electricity and water through electrolysis — once supplies become more readily available. But procuring green hydrogen for Sea Change has been challenging, in part because the vessel uses relatively small volumes of hydrogen, meaning it does little to move the needle on hydrogen production. Switch also only has a six-month lease agreement with San Francisco Bay Ferry, a public transit service administered by WETA. Ralli said that Switch can’t make longer-term supply chain commitments to procure green hydrogen until it has a longer lease commitment to operate Sea Change.
Reuse stories
My husband is a runner, so I have long been influenced into buying Brooks when selecting a running shoe, including when I found a pair on sale in a DSW in... 2016? (It's been a while). Those sneakers never saw a lot of running, but did see plenty of walks and hikes. (I'm more often in Converse, picking up heavy things these days.) But by the time my big toe had worn a hole in the front and the treads on the bottom were run down to nonexistence, I admitted to myself it was time for another pair.
I've been keeping my "buying used" challenge going informally, so the other day I popped onto eBay, which has surprised me with decent clothing resale finds, and found the updated model of my Brooks Ravennas, slightly used for less than what I paid in 2016.
I plan to pop the soles in the wash and then give them a spin.
Stories I’m reading this week
EV sales are climbing; Tesla’s market share is falling (NYTimes)
The refinery outside of Denver keeps getting hit with pollution fines (Colorado Sun)
In sunny Arizona, a relocated gas plant ignites questions over who profits and who pays (AZ Central/Arizona Republic)
New England’s last coal plant is closing. What comes next? (E&E News)
Anchorage residents embracing rooftop solar cite concerns about natural gas shortfall (AK Public Media)
This company is pitching fish-safe hydropower (MIT Tech Review)
Seaweed Farming and Wetlands in a Box: How Governors Island Has Become a Climate Lab (The City)