[Excerpt]
“The National Weather Service has issued an excessive heat warning for many parts of the U.S. this week. Parts of LA, like the San Fernando Valley, are headed for triple-digit temperatures this weekend.
Heat negatively affects some people more than others — UCLA Heat Lab Director Bharat Venkat looks at it as “thermal inequality.”
It’s simple to advise people to turn on air conditioning, but in low-income communities of color, where the percentage of renters is high, A/C availability is low, he points out. Even if A/C is an option, people hesitate to use it because it’s expensive, which scholars call “energy poverty.” ”