Heat, dust, and people

The ADAPTE project uses GIS to map the intersection of air pollution, extreme weather, and social vulnerability in Latin American cities. Findings indicate that PM10 and NOx levels in Mexico City, Santiago, and Bogota significantly exceed WHO standards. The research highlights that respiratory and cardiovascular mortality risks vary by city, season, and age group, with children in Bogota showing higher respiratory risk during cold seasons and elderly populations showing higher cardiovascular risk during the same period.

• Air pollution levels in Mexico City, Santiago, and Bogota significantly exceed World Health Organization (WHO) standards, with fine dust particles (PM10) exceeding standards by 90% and nitrous oxides (NOx) exceeding them by 73%, 38%, and 25% respectively.
• The relative risk (RR) for respiratory and cardiovascular mortality varies by city and season; the highest respiratory and cardiovascular RR during the warm season occurred in Buenos Aires and Mexico City, while Bogota saw higher risks during the cold season.
• GIS analysis in Bogota reveals that the distribution of cardiovascular and respiratory mortality does not align with the city's north-south gradient of wealth and education, suggesting that age characteristics play a complex role in mortality risk.
• The ADAPTE project's vulnerability analyses have enabled the creation of chemical weather forecasts for Santiago via the Chilean Weather Office and for other large South American cities, including Bogota.

APA

Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (2024). Heat, dust, and people. https://iai.int/en/calor-polvo-y-gente/

Chicago

Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research. Heat, dust, and people. 2024. https://iai.int/en/calor-polvo-y-gente/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research |title=Heat, dust, and people |date=8 October 2024 |url=https://iai.int/en/calor-polvo-y-gente/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{interamericaninstituteforglobalchangeresearch2024heat, author = {{Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research}}, title = {{Heat, dust, and people}}, institution = {Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research}, year = {2024}, month = oct, url = {https://iai.int/en/calor-polvo-y-gente/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }