Drivers and barriers to heat stress resilience

Hatvani-Kovacs, Gertrud; Belusko, Martin; Skinner, Natalie; Pockett, John; Boland, John

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.07.028

Cited by 64 publications

(52 citation statements)

References 67 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…With this study we aim to understand thermal discomfort through the analysis of internet search behaviour, using India as a case study. Air conditioning is acknowledged as being an effective protective measure against heat stress [20] and as such we assume that the weather conditions at which people start searching the internet for air conditioning devices can be indicative for thermal discomfort, an assumption we will further test. Additionally, we examine whether there is spatial variation in thermal discomfort across different states in India and, if so, whether it can be related to differences in long-term average climate of these states.…”

Section: Included Search Termsmentioning

confidence: 99%

When do Indians feel hot? Internet searches indicate seasonality suppresses adaptation to heat

Singh

Siderius

Velde³

2018

Environ. Res. Lett.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In a warming world an increasing number of people are being exposed to heat, making a comfortable thermal environment an important need. This study explores the potential of using Regional Internet Search Frequencies (RISF) for air conditioning devices as an indicator for thermal discomfort (i.e. dissatisfaction with the thermal environment) with the aim to quantify the adaptation potential of individuals living across different climate zones and at the high end of the temperature range, in India, where access to health data is limited. We related RISF for the years 2011-2015 to daily daytime outdoor temperature in 17 states and determined at which temperature RISF for air conditioning starts to peak, i.e. crosses a 'heat threshold', in each state. Using the spatial variation in heat thresholds, we explored whether people continuously exposed to higher temperatures show a lower response to heat extremes through adaptation (e.g. physiological, behavioural or psychological). State-level heat thresholds ranged from 25.9• C in Madhya Pradesh to 31.0 • C in Orissa. Local adaptation was found to occur at state level: the higher the average temperature in a state, the higher the heat threshold; and the higher the intra-annual temperature range (warmest minus coldest month) the lower the heat threshold. These results indicate there is potential within India to adapt to warmer temperatures, but that a large intra-annual temperature variability attenuates this potential to adapt to extreme heat. This winter 'reset' mechanism should be taken into account when assessing the impact of global warming, with changes in minimum temperatures being an important factor in addition to the change in maximum temperatures itself. Our findings contribute to a better understanding of local heat thresholds and people's adaptive capacity, which can support the design of local thermal comfort standards and early heat warning systems.

show abstract

Section: Included Search Termsmentioning

confidence: 99%

When do Indians feel hot? Internet searches indicate seasonality suppresses adaptation to heat

Singh

Siderius

Velde³

2018

Environ. Res. Lett.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Building regulations and design accounts of thermal comfort only target the exposure of those who are indoors. Influential reviews of public health identify intersecting vulnerabilities including access to infrastructure such as air‐conditioning and culture amongst other factors . Those outdoors, such as the homeless or those working in the open air, are occluded from this housing‐based problematization of heat and associated governance approach.…”

Section: Part 2: Implications For the Monsoon Tropicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Heat, health, and humidity in Australia's monsoon tropics: a critical review of the problematization of ‘heat’ in a changing climate

Oppermann

Brearley

Law

et al. 2017

WIREs Climate Change

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Exposure to heat has killed more people in Australia than all other natural hazards combined. As the climate warms, temperatures are projected to rise substantially, increasing the impact of heat stress and heat illness nation-wide. The relation between heat and health is profoundly complex, however, and is understood differently across multiple sectors. This paper thus provides a critical review of how heat is currently measured and managed in Australia, highlighting how humidity, exposure, and exertion are key elements that are not consistently incorporated into 'problematizations' of heat. The presence or absence of these elements produces different spatial and temporal geographies of danger, as well as different governance practices. In particular, the invisibility of humidity as having a significant impact on heat and health shapes whether Australia's tropical monsoon zone is visible as a region at risk or not, and whether prolonged periods of seasonal heat are treated as dangerous. Similarly, different populations and practices become visible depending on whether the human body (its exposure, exertion, cooling, and hydration) is included in accounts of what constitutes 'heat.' As a result, the outdoor, manual workforce is visible as a population at risk in some accounts but not others. A brief review of key policy areas including housing, public health and work health and safety is presented to demonstrate how specific problematizations of heat are critical to the identification of, and response to, current and future climatic conditions. This has implications for how populations, places, and practices are constituted in the region.

show abstract

“…In the literature, there is a general call for the development of urban resilience against heat waves [18]. It is known that a system's resilience increases with its adaptive capacity [19].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Predictors Associated with Health-Related Heat Risk Perception of Urban Citizens in Germany

Beckmann

Hiete

2020

IJERPH

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The rising probability of extremely high temperatures and an increasing number of consecutive hot days caused by climate change—combined with the impact of these high temperatures on human health—is widely discussed in the literature. There are calls for the development of heatwave adaptation measures by governmental and scientific institutions. In this research, the predictors of health-related heat risk perception of urban citizens in Augsburg, Germany, were investigated. An online survey was conducted with 468 citizens, asking about their heat risk perception, knowledge about heat risks, and demographic data and health information. Statistical methods (Spearman correlation, unpaired t-test, ANOVA and multiple regression) were used to determine which factors were significant and relevant. The results show that the knowledge of heat risks, heat risk sensitivity and an external locus of control are the most important factors for heat risk perception. The health implication score and chronic disease show significant effects in descriptive statistics. Furthermore, younger people showed the highest heat risk perception of all age groups. Surprisingly, income, education, living alone and gender did not play a role in heat risk perception. The findings imply a need for better and intensified heat risk communication in urban areas—especially among elderly people—and thus are important for creating acceptance towards heat wave risks, which is a prerequisite of willingness to adapt.

show abstract

Drivers and barriers to heat stress resilience

Cited by 64 publications

References 67 publications

When do Indians feel hot? Internet searches indicate seasonality suppresses adaptation to heat

When do Indians feel hot? Internet searches indicate seasonality suppresses adaptation to heat

Heat, health, and humidity in Australia's monsoon tropics: a critical review of the problematization of ‘heat’ in a changing climate

Predictors Associated with Health-Related Heat Risk Perception of Urban Citizens in Germany

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About