Stella Mackler

Heat wave. Heat dome. High pressure system. By any name and measure, the heat this week is a public health threat for everyone, but especially unhoused people, senior citizens and people with disabilities.

Data centers are springing up around the country to power AI and other tech needs. While the economic and environmental impacts of these computing power houses are fiercely debated, a new one may be coming to Charlotte’s backyard.

As the summer months heat up, some Charlotte residents are struggling to stay cool —especially those in homes with broken or no air conditioning. Local housing advocates are pushing the city to mandate A/C in rental properties, and provide other relief to residents.

Last month, heat was identified as the number one climate risk in Charlotte. What does that mean for residents who live in rentals without air conditioning?

Hurricane Helene destroyed thousands of state-maintained roads and bridges. But the storm washed away even more private crossings, leaving homeowners stranded. Nine months later, many folks still aren’t able to access their homes. A new engineering class at UNC Charlotte aims to fix that.

Since 2011, Charlotte City Council has rallied behind a goal to restore the city’s most effective natural air conditioning system: trees. However, residential development, storm damage and an aging tree canopy have proven formidable opponents in achieving a goal of 50% tree canopy coverage citywide by 2050.

CleanAIRE NC’s AirKeeper Dashboard is an interactive map that shows air quality data and the location of polluters. It also highlights demographic and health data, such as a community’s average rate of asthma or different cancers.