extreme heat Archives - TPR: The Public's Radio

View of New York City skyline in the background with water in the foreground.

Environment, Possibly Podcast

How is New York City keeping its residents cool?

by Emma Mejia, Isha Thakkar and Megan Hall September 16, 2025September 15, 2025

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The biggest city in the country has taken a proactive approach to protect its residents from extreme heat. Programs have tried to make cooling centers, pools, and air conditioners more easily available to people.

Jeffrey Pagulong (right) and his 12-year-old son Christof stand near the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. They both wear red baseball caps and white neck cooling fans.

NPR

Do neck cooling fans really help you beat the heat?

by Bill Chappell August 1, 2025August 1, 2025

You might see more people wearing a neck cooling fan to fight the summer heat. But can they really help? We talk to experts about how our bodies deal with heat — and to people using the fans.

Indian ragpickers search for re-cyclable materials among rubbish at a dumping ground of the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation near Ahmedabad on September 13, 2011. Rag-pickers with their daily collection of plastic supplement their family incomes even though India in recent years has made moves and a conscious effort to eliminate the use of plastic bags with some shops using paper bags instead.

NPR

On super hot days, this insurance plan pays out cash for lost wages

by Jyoti Thakur July 16, 2025July 17, 2025

It’s called parametric insurance, it offers protection for climate-related wage losses and it’s gaining ground in India.

NPR

2024 will be the hottest year on record, even hotter than expected

by Lauren Sommer December 24, 2024December 24, 2024

It’s looking like 2024 will be the hottest year since record-keeping began, unseating 2023 for the top spot. Climate change is playing a role, and scientists say it was even hotter than expected.