How to reduce heatwave ER admissions

Happy Sunday!

For anyone with us for the first time, welcome to Voyage Green News! We provide a weekly dose of news and inspiration for a sustainable life. 💚 

♻️ This week’s sustainability news

More tree cover and white surfaces reduce ER visits

What’s happening: A recent study, published in the International Journal of Biometeorology, estimated that more tree coverage and surfaces painted white in urban areas could reduce emergency room (ER) visits by between 25% to 50% during heatwaves. They also found that reductions in the rate of ER visits would be even greater in heat-vulnerable, working-class Los Angeles communities with a high concentration of people of colour.

Why it’s happening: The Los Angeles area is already facing many problems due to climate change. One of the biggest issues is extreme heat, which affects many people because of a lack of resources, leading to more health problems. This will only become worse as temperatures are expected to rise by 2–3 °C by the middle of the century and by 3–5 °C by the end of the century. Some neighbourhoods in Los Angeles will see six times more extremely hot days. In response to these forecasts, the government has been implementing various tactics to decrease the impact of the increased heat. This has included planting more trees and vegetation, and painting rooftops and streets with white, reflective paint.

Why it’s important: In hot weather, the death rate in Los Angeles goes up by 8%, mainly because the heat makes it harder for people with health problems. When there are several very hot days in a row, the death rate can go up by 30% during and right after these days. While the risks of extreme heat in cities across the world continue to grow in a warming climate, this study demonstrates that effective cooling strategies to alleviate urban heat exist and can be implemented relatively easily.

📖 Read the full study: Increasing tree cover and high-albedo surfaces reduces heat-related ER visits in Los Angeles, CA

Developed nations finally achieve funding promise

What’s happening: A new report from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) shows that wealthy nations have finally reached their goal to provide at least $100 billion in funding every year to help less wealthy countries with their transition from fossil fuels. They gave almost $116 billion to developing countries in 2022.

Why it’s happening: After talks failed at the United Nations climate conference in Copenhagen in 2009, wealthy nations, led by the United States, promised to give developing countries $100 billion each year for climate help by 2020. However, they did not meet this goal in 2020 or 2021. The extra money donated in 2022 therefore helps to make up for the $27 billion the wealthy nations missed in the previous two years.

Why it’s important: Although developed nations caused most of the climate change now occurring, developing nation are disproportionately bearing the brunt of its effects. Achieving the $100 billion annual funding target is worth celebrating, but it’s also less than it should be. Research supported by the United Nations says that developing countries (not including China) will need an extraordinary $2.4 trillion per year by 2030 to move away from fossil fuels and deal with climate change. Furthermore, the OECD report found that two-thirds of the funds provided in 2022 came in the form of loans rather than grants. Developing countries will therefore be required to pay the money back, often with market-rate interest applied. A recent Reuters investigation found that some aid providers also made recipients work with companies from donor countries. This meant that a lot of the money ended up going back to the wealthy nations that provided the funding.

📖 Read the full article from Grist: Better late than never

🌐 Travel to the cenotes of Pixyah (Pixyá)

Mystical and beautiful natural swimming holes

Pixyá is a small town in Yucatán, Mexico: After visiting more than 20 cenotes along the Yucatán Peninsula, these were some of the most beautiful and the most special ones.

😇 People doing great things

Delivering water by train

Bringing much-needed water to the Navajo Nation: The community was facing a severe lack of water, with 30% not having access to clean drinking water. Chris Halter runs a mission on the reservation, which was bringing in about 40 gallons of water daily for the families, although far less than the 300 gallons of water used on average in the U.S. His brother Andrew Halter had been in the railway industry for 25 years but was laid off in 2020. Looking for his next challenge and after seeing his brother’s efforts, he formed the company Jacob’s Well to transport water 1,200 miles via rail from Mississippi to the mission for the families to collect. They are now averaging two tank cars a month, carrying about 21,000 gallons each. Almost all the costs to transport the water is being covered by private donations to the mission.

⭐️ Weekly inspiration

Clean transport to U.S. schools

More than 500 school districts to benefit: The EPA gave almost $900 million to buy around 3,400 clean school buses, with 92% electric.

Massive investment in U.S. electric battery plant

Toyota made an initial $1 billion investment: As a result of the Biden Administration’s Inflation Reduction Act, the Japanese car maker will now invest $13.9 billion to greatly expand the site in North Carolina.

Only 1,200 square kilometres to decarbonise Australia

Negligible impact on agriculture: Farmers may also receive income from hosting renewable energy infrastructure without giving up their activities.

New material self-cleans and cools rooms

More transparent than glass: A thin film that can be applied to regular glass, maximising sunlight while reducing the need for air-conditioning.

Wind power number one in the UK last year

Overtook natural gas for the first time: After holding the top spot for 28 years, the fossil fuel was finally beaten with 32% of energy from wind power.

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