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If you live in Boston, you’re in for a balmy day. Temperatures are set to reach the low 70s and the air is clear.
Not every day this summer has been so pleasant. Heat waves and bouts of bad air — the latter caused by wildfire smoke from Canada — have made spending time outside a health hazard. Climate change worsens both problems and will continue to as the planet warms.
Bostonians have noticed. In a recent survey the city conducted, residents listed extreme heat and air quality as their biggest climate-related concerns. “Sometimes with climate change, if you can’t see it and feel it directly, then it’s out of sight, out of mind,” said Abigail Menendez, who works on climate issues in the city’s Office of Emerging Technology. Heat and bad air “directly affects your day.”
So although both are gone for today, they’ll be back. Here’s what Menendez and others are doing to help Boston adapt.
Boston has declared three heat emergencies this summer, setting temperature records. And if you think it’s hot today, just wait. The city’s draft 2030 Climate Action Plan, released earlier this month, estimates that in the next five years, Bostonians could experience temperatures exceeding 90 degrees for up to 40 days annually; so far this year, there have been fewer than half that number.
That’s bad news for residents’ health. One study, published in May, found that heat waves led to a 33 percent increase in the risk of hospitalization among elderly Bostonians for heat stroke, dehydration, and other heat-related issues. City buildings and asphalt roads trap heat, making temperatures even worse.
“Extreme heat is an issue currently,” said Zoe Davis, a project manager with the city’s Climate Ready Boston team who focuses on heat resilience. “It’s going to continue to be.”
So what is the city doing? During heat waves, it sends out phone or email advisories. For those who can’t stay inside, it provides misting tents and cooling stations.
Other initiatives aim for lasting changes. Davis manages a program that helps homeowners plant and maintain trees on private property, which studies show can significantly reduce urban heat. She also wants to better integrate shade and heat-resilience into how the city builds playgrounds, public transit, and even street benches, which often aren’t designed with heat in mind.
Heat and air quality are related. Hotter weather and drier conditions make it easier for wildfires to spread. Local building emissions, vehicle exhaust, and construction all eject pollutants, dirt, and dust into the air, too. The Air Quality Index (AQI) measures the concentration of those particles and smog.
An AQI over 100 is bad for people with asthma, children, and the elderly. An AQI over 150 is bad for everyone. As wildfire smoke wafted over Boston in June and July, the city experienced two days with an AQI over 100 — more than in any other year over the past decade.
One promising effort to combat bad air grew out of a different global emergency: COVID. During the pandemic, Boston Public Schools used federal funds to install classroom air quality monitors and purifiers. The city will also soon award grants to help deploy air purifiers in homes and community centers.
As with heat, there’s more to do. The city tracks air quality and hopes to develop bad air warnings modeled off its existing heat advisories. Its draft 2030 Climate Plan also aims to zero out planet-warming emissions, a local source of bad air, by 2050. But that’s a long way off.
Of course, there’s only so much Boston can do on its own. The heat we feel and the air we breathe are also products of climate change everywhere. “It is not just on the city to address this problem,” Davis said.
But she, Menendez, and other city officials who work on climate mitigation may struggle to make their work sustainable as the Trump administration pulls back on US efforts to address climate change. Among other things, President Trump has withdrawn from the Paris climate agreement, plans to end the federal government’s power to regulate greenhouse gases, sought to remove mentions of “climate science” from federal websites, and cut staff from the National Weather Service, which forecasters in Boston and elsewhere rely on to predict the weather.
🧩 5 Across: Tropical fruit | 🌤️ 71° Breezy and sunny
Steven Tompkins: More than half of the Suffolk County sheriff’s campaign donations in recent years have come from employees and their families. It’s legal but creates a perception that subordinates are expected to give, experts say.
‘Rat safari’: Allston-Brighton’s biannual Rat Walk — which seeks to raise awareness about the rat problem that has plagued the neighborhoods in recent years — featured floppy safari hats, “Ratatouille”-themed headbands, and plenty of real rats.
Vroom-vroom: More than 100 people driving dirt bikes, scooters, and bicycles tore down Interstate 93 on Saturday. One who allegedly crashed a dirt bike into a State Police cruiser is due in court today.
Sonya Hamlin: The groundbreaking Boston TV talk show host died at 101. “It was not unfamiliar for me to be the first woman who did just about everything I have done, honestly,” she once said.
Junk fees: Massachusetts’ new rules protecting residents against surprise fees and automatic subscription renewals take effect next month. Here’s what to know.
Trump vs. Harvard: The school faces a federal investigation into whether it discriminated against white, Asian, male, and heterosexual job applicants. Its outcome could upend hiring practices beyond academia.
Local impacts: Trump’s funding cuts have anthem Mississippi, which heavily relies on federal aid, especially hard.
Warning signs: Workers of color are often the first to feel an economic downturn. As the nationwide Black unemployment rate nears a four-year high, economists warn that more job losses could follow.
Storm movie: Erin, today a Category 4 hurricane, pelted the Caribbean. Forecasters warned of potentially dangerous surf and rip currents along the US’s East Coast this week. (AP)
Israel-Hamas war: During a nationwide day of strikes and protests, one million Israelis called on their government to end the war in Gaza and free the hostages held there. (Times of Israel)
🗓️ Mark your calendar: Trivia at an Everett dog bar, a board game night in Roslindale, and other free things to do this week in Greater Boston.
🫗 Spirit-free: The share of US adults who say they drink alcohol has fallen to 54 percent, the lowest number in Gallup’s nearly 90-year history of asking. A majority today say moderate consumption is unhealthy. (Gallup)
💉 Changing friendships: As Ozempic and other GLP-1 drugs go mainstream, jealousy and judgment follow.
🏠 What’s in a home? Rising property taxes, insurance costs, and home-repair prices are prompting some older Americans to rent instead. (WSJ 🎁)
💸 Brave new world: Checkout machines powered by artificial intelligence have increased sales at Fenway Park and TD Garden — at the cost of workers’ tips.
🍌 Favored fruit: Bananas don’t grow in Tokyo. They’ve become a symbol of the city anyway. (CNN)
📷 Flash photography: With his dazzling images, this photographer aims to raise awareness about the threats facing fireflies. (PBS)
Thanks for reading Starting Point.
This newsletter was edited by Heather Ciras.
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Ian Prasad Philbrick can be reached at ian.philbrick@globe.com.
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