Urban Inequality and Spatial Distribution of Heat Mortality in Brazilian Cities

ADDRESSING UNDERLYING SOCIAL factors can be an important step in mitigating the health impacts of heat waves. However, very little research on this topic is available for Latin America, one of the most urbanized and unequal regions in the world. An estimated 80 percent of people live in urban areas in Latin America and are increasingly impacted by the health risks of climate change.

To address this research gap and policy needs, the World Resources Institute (WRI), WRI Brasil, SALURBAL, and WRI Mexico are undertaking a project to understand the spatial relationship between neighborhood-scale heat mortality and neighborhood social and characteristics in two Brazilian cities. The team hopes these findings inform public policy considerations at national and local scales.

“With this project we want to develop ideas and methodologies to achieve short term impacts that can help implement adaptation and mitigation strategies to address the local impacts of climate change,” said Bilal.

The team aims to make the impacts of climate change on urban health visible, with the goal of driving urgent short-term climate policy changes by combining both rigorous research and local engagement. The team plans to implement a scalable local engagement methodology to align research with needs, build local capacity for action and help design public policies and interventions to mitigate impacts on health from extreme heat and other climate hazards.