© Aamir QURESHI / AFP Additionally, gendered norms of living and working conditions influence the type and timing of work men and women do, as well as time and access to public and private spaces. [...] As WBT rises in many parts of the world (Raymond and others, 2020), crossing such thresholds will reduce the important contribution of snow to the glacial mass balance and as a critical reflector of sunlight, due to the albedo effect, and accelerate progress towards glacial melting tipping points (Oerlemans and Klok, 2004). [...] Certain architectural configurations, such as the position and orientation of buildings, shape and design of roofs or balconies, location and types of windows, and even furniture arrangements, can all influence the movement of air within a building (Prianto and Depecker, 2003) and mitigate the accumulation of humid heat to increase thermal comfort. [...] One such approach is to create “sponge cities” designed with permeable pavements and green spaces to increase shade and evapotranspiration to mitigate heat impacts, while also absorbing rainwater to prevent flooding and recharge groundwater, and provide habitats for wild species to live and roam (Simon, 2022). [...] Furthermore, we have an urgent global responsibility to end climate change and the burning of fossil fuels, a pressing need to make people’s living conditions less heat-prone and adaptable to various climate conditions, and an obligation to assist those who are most vulnerable to the impacts of heat.
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