Hudson Valley officials and residents met in Yonkers on Wednesday night to brainstorm solutions to climate change.
Climate change is a national topic, but some of Westchester’s largest cities are feeling the heat.
Parts of the Yonkers community suffer from extreme heat due to the city’s heat island effect.
Extreme heat kills more people each year than any other weather event, according to the National Weather Service.
The urban heat island effect is caused by asphalt and other materials concentrated in cities that trap heat in the ground and not release it to the environment. Therefore, wood and water cannot absorb heat.
These heat islands are all over Yonker, disproportionately affecting black, Latinx and low-income communities.
The City of Yonkers is currently developing its first climate action plan. Part of that plan involves purchasing 23 trees and placing them strategically.
Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano also recently announced plans to turn a bus stop into a park.
Other proposals included capping air-conditioning costs for tenants living in heat islands and creating more green space throughout the city.
No decision has yet been made on any of these ideas.