Environmental Change Department, Public Health England, Harwell, Oxon, OX11 0RQ, UK.
School of Geography Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK.
Curr Environ Health Rep. 2017 Sep;4(3):296-305. doi: 10.1007/s40572-017-0150-3.
The Urban Heat Island (UHI) is a well-studied phenomenon, whereby urban areas are generally warmer than surrounding suburban and rural areas. The most direct effect on health from the UHI is due to heat risk, which is exacerbated in urban areas, particularly during heat waves. However, there may be health benefits from warming during colder months. This review highlights recent attempts to quantitatively estimate the health impacts of the UHI and estimations of the health benefits of UHI mitigation measures.
Climate change, increasing urbanisation and an ageing population in much of the world, is likely to increase the risks to health from the UHI, particularly from heat exposure. Studies have shown increased health risks in urban populations compared with rural or suburban populations in hot weather and a disproportionate impact on more vulnerable social groups. Estimations of the impacts of various mitigation techniques suggest that a range of measures could reduce health impacts from heat and bring other benefits to health and wellbeing. The impact of the UHI on heat-related health is significant, although often overlooked, particularly when considering future impacts associated with climate change. Multiple factors should be considered when designing mitigation measures in urban environments in order to maximise health benefits and avoid unintended negative effects.
综述目的：城市热岛（UHI）是一个经过充分研究的现象，城市地区通常比周围的郊区和农村地区更温暖。UHI 对健康的最直接影响是由于热风险，而在城市地区，特别是在热浪期间，这种风险更为严重。然而，在较冷的月份，气温升高可能对健康有益。本综述重点介绍了最近尝试定量估计 UHI 对健康的影响以及 UHI 缓解措施的健康益处的估计。
最新发现：在世界上许多地区，气候变化、城市化进程的加快以及人口老龄化，可能会增加 UHI 对健康的风险，尤其是在暴露于高温下时。研究表明，在炎热天气下，城市人口比农村或郊区人口面临更高的健康风险，弱势群体受到的影响更大。对各种缓解技术影响的估计表明，一系列措施可以降低因热导致的健康风险，并为健康和福祉带来其他益处。尽管 UHI 对与热有关的健康的影响很大，但往往被忽视，特别是在考虑与气候变化相关的未来影响时。在城市环境中设计缓解措施时，应考虑多个因素，以最大限度地提高健康益处并避免意外的负面影响。
