It’s getting hot out there

Southside ReLeaf intern Maya Basnyat has a fascinating set of thermal photos showing the temperature difference between shaded and unshaded areas around South Richmond – some places as much as 50 degrees:

South Richmond has one of the worst urban heat island effects in the city, a legacy that stretches back to the days of redlining and ongoing disinvestment that has aided in disastrous and hasty urban planning. Lack of shade structures and trees combined with climate change’s more extreme weather conditions have caused an increase in the number of heat-related injuries.

Despite knowing all of this as I took photos around Southside, the temperature differences I captured with my thermal camera were shocking.