Project August 19, 2021
Heat Islands: Washington, D.C.’s Climate Divide
Country:
Summertime heat in some D.C. neighborhoods can top 100 degrees, while other neighborhoods remain much cooler. Through a combination of data journalism, investigative methods, and interviews with local residents, Hola Cultura will examine why low-income D.C. neighborhoods, home predominantly to residents of color, are so much hotter in the summer than the District’s whiter, wealthier, and more bucolic neighborhoods.
Hola Cultura's team of youth reporters will map temperature differences across the city, examine the causes, and explore the health impacts of trying to survive in D.C.’s heat islands, where extreme heat can complicate pregnancies, exacerbate chronic medical conditions, and reduce the effectiveness of some drugs.