07/04/2026
๐๐ก๐๐ข๐๐ฅ๐๐ฃ๐๐๐ | ๐ช๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐จ๐ฟ๐ฏ๐ฎ๐ป ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ ๐๐๐น๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ณ๐ณ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐? ๐โ๏ธ
As climate change continues to wage on, we frequently think that its effects present itself in only widescale effects due to it being a global phenomenon.
In the ๐ฐ๐ผ๐น๐น๐ฎ๐ฏ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐ถ๐๐ต SAMAHAN Ecoteneo Student Unit, we aim to give light towards one of the greatest environmental concerns affecting us. Urban Heat Island Effect has been a phenomenon observed for decades. What started as the noting of warmer nights in the west and the comparison of heat in cities and countrysides have now culminated in the extreme heat indices felt in urban areas worldwide, especially in countries near the equator.
This is due to the natural land cover in cities being replaced by concrete, asphalt, and other dark materials which absorb heat and store it throughout the day, only rbeleasing it gradually during night. Heat from vehicles and industrial activity adds into the process, where the Urban Canyon Effect also coincides in trapping the heat due to lack of airflow from the tall and packed buildings, blocking proper ventilation. While the loss of green spaces such as shrubs and trees mean less shaded areas from direct sunlight, it also reduces evapotranspiration, a natural cooling effect by releasing water v***r.
Due to this, dependence on cooling devices such as air conditioners heightens. These appliances make the inside cooler by venting heat outside, which only creates a self-reliant cycle of โfeeling hotโ and further contributing to trapped heat in the cities, and releasing chemicals and pollutants into the air.
The generated increase in temperatures becomes a catalyst for creating smog, a chemical reaction between the released NOXs and VOCs and UV from sunlight, which has severe effects to the respiratory and cardiovascular systems of humans and animals alike, such as increased cases of asthma, heatstroke, and acute bronchitis.
In recent studies, the gap of temperature between urban areas and their rural counterparts reaches as high as 1-7 ยฐC during day, and 10-12 ยฐC at night. In extreme cases, a gap of up to 12 ยฐC is also observed during daylight hours. Furthermore, the global surface urban heat island intensity increases by 0.156 ยฐC per decade, with a projection of contributing to local average warming of 0.1 ยฐC by 2100.
๐๐น๐ผ๐ฏ๐ฎ๐น ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐บ๐ถ๐ป๐ด continues to be overlooked due to individuals usually assuming their โdrop in the oceanโ efforts are meaningless in the face of corporative and organized actions. Rarely do we ever think that the same concern of melting ice caps and glaziers could reach even the small units of our apartment buildings, and radiate off of our side walks.
We must ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฑ๐๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ถ๐ป๐ฑ๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ฑ๐๐ฎ๐น ๐๐๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ฟ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐ฑ๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ถ๐ป๐ด, and rely instead on electric fans and ๐๐๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐น๐ถ๐ด๐ต๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐น๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐บ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฎ๐น๐ for roofs and walls to reflect solar radiation. Furthermore, ๐๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐๐ผ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐ด๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ป ๐๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ incorporated into urban landscapes, community gardens and parks for natural shade and cooling.
๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฎ๐ป๐ด๐ฒ ๐บ๐ฎ๐ ๐๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ ๐๐บ๐ฎ๐น๐น, ๐ฏ๐๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐๐ ๐๐ถ๐๐ต ๐๐. ๐ผ๐
Captions by Bianca Barroso
Pubmat by Alexandra Daguio
REFERENCES:
https://climate.mit.edu/explainers/urban-heat-islands
https://science.nasa.gov/kids/earth/what-is-an-urban-heat-island/
https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/0260acbb85e64d5a95c17fadf57d0993
https://urbangreenbluegrids.com/measures/urban-green-as-prevention-of-the-heat-island-effect-and-smog-formation/
https://preparecenter.org/story/scorched-future-the-rising-toll-of-extreme-heat-in-the-philippines/
https://www.pagasa.dost.gov.ph/information/climate-change-in-the-philippines #:~:text=Extreme%20Temperature%20Events,increasing%20in%202020%20and%202050
X
