The COVID-19 pandemic has been a life-altering shock to society. However, there have been serendipitous outcomes from the associated lockdowns ranging from improved air quality to reductions in carbon emissions. Liu et al. (2022, https://doi.org/10.1029/2021GL096842) revealed that even the magnitude of the heat islands in Chinese cities were reduced due to a decline in human activities and their associated anthropogenic contributions. These surprising findings have significant implications for understanding intersections among climate, health, energy, urban planning, transportation, and infrastructure.
Keywords: COVID‐19 lockdown; cities; climate; climate justice; heat; urban climate.
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