Extreme heat is marking new records. Scientists acknowledged July 4th as the hottest day on Earth in about 125,000 years, and most of the US states are experiencing burning temperatures this days. Nearly a third of Americans – about 113 million people – are currently under heat advisories, and the National Weather Service has urged people not to underestimate the risk to life.
The situation is severe in Europe too, as the continent is warming more swiftly than the global average, say the experts. While heat waves are repeatedly hitting southern Europe, a recently published report attributed 61,000 deaths in Europe to its searing temperatures last summer.
As we know, the scale of changes required to adequately mitigate climate change is wide and calls for extensive investments. At city level, buildings and mobility systems are being scrutinized, while authorities are pressured to extend shelters and health services to poorer and more marginalized people, and to reduce urban heat islands where temperatures are particularly high.
Smart technologies can help a lot and contribute to climate resiliency. Generally speaking, IoT-based systems support a more accurate tracking of power consumption and natural resources use, thus enabling data-driven decisions to save energy, water, and related CO2 emissions.
More specifically, smart environmental sensors can be implemented to efficiently monitor parameters such as temperature, humidity, solar irradiance, air quality, and more. Having hyper-local environmental data allows cities to alert residents in case of upcoming heat waves in Summer, snow or ice storms in Winter, or any other unfortunate condition.
Discover more about our Smart Environmental Sensors and how they can be used for environmental monitoring and taking immediate action to safeguard citizens’ safety: watch our video and register to download our white paper.
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