Low-Income NYC Neighborhoods Are Hotter Than Wealthy Ones

Data from New York City show there was at least a 7-degree temperature difference between the South Bronx—one of the poorest neighborhoods in New York City—and the Upper East Side of Manhattan, one of the wealthiest. These data are crucial to understanding where and who is most affected by climate change and how communities can target resources toward reducing temperature. “As community members who actually fight for justice, and social justice, and environmental justice, we can now say, ‘There is actual data that says, we breathe different air.’ There is actual data that says, ‘We see and feel heat differently than everywhere else’,” said Melissa Barber, founder of activist organization South Bronx Unite.