Looking for Policy Solutions as Phoenix Heats Up
May 25, 2023
If Phoenix is hit with a multiday power loss during a heat wave—a rising risk with climate change—nearly half the city’s population would experience health problems requiring emergency medical care, according to a new study. In Issues, Nicholas Weller, Mahmud Farooque, and Michelle Sullivan Govani describe how they are applying a new approach to help identify practical policy solutions to extreme heat threats and other dilemmas involving science, technology, and uncertainty. Using “participatory technology assessment,” the authors write, brings together private citizens and public policymakers in a structured way that fosters creative ideas, good-faith discussions, and shared trust.