On Thursday August 1, 2024, Director of Policy and Research Emilia Calma was quoted by DC News Now:
“If you can actually see in all the maps there’s a really stark line where Rock Creek Park ends,” said Emilia Calma, with the DC Policy Center.
Calma authored the report, “Chart of the week: D.C.’s heat exposure index shows the impact of severe heat is worst east of Rock Creek Park,” last summer, which looks at heat exposure and heat sensitivity across the District.
“Exposure to heat in D.C. is affected by a lot of factors. It’s often called an urban heat island, but the heat is really affected by ambient air temperature, canopy cover and the amount of impervious surfaces like asphalt and concrete,” said Calma.
Wards 1, 4 and 6, which include downtown and Capitol Hill, have the highest exposure to heat, according to the report.
“Where there is a lot of building density and less trees, there tends to be much higher air temperatures and heat is absorbed into the concrete and released slowly into the day and night so heat tends to last longer.”
The report also looks at heat sensitivity, which highlights areas where people have more difficulty overcoming or coping with heat-related illnesses.
“Residents with the greatest heat sensitivity are concentrated in wards 5, 7, 8,” said Calma.
She noted that many factors impact heat sensitivity.
“One of the main ones is age, people over the age of 65 and then young children, people with underlying medical conditions,” she said. “It also follows along the lines of income, race, disability and language barriers.”
Calma said the District can and does use these data to guide policy around extreme heat.
“I think they’ve already started…looking where trees can be planted, to up that tree coverage,” she said. “We could also just be looking at these mitigating factors, making sure residents have access to care and knowing where the most vulnerable populations are. That should tell us where we should be concentrating our efforts.”
Read More: Mapping DC’s heat exposure, sensitivity
Additional reading: Chart of the week: D.C.’s heat exposure index shows the impact of severe heat is worst east of Rock Creek Park