全国高温逼人 酷暑之下，美国正面临一场民生与城市韧性的考验

进入八月下旬，美国许多地区仍然被酷热笼罩。原本以為夏季即将接近尾声，但是高温并没有明显退去，从德州、奥克拉荷马州、路易斯安那州，一直到新墨西哥州及亚利桑那州，炙热天气依然持续。

美国国家气象局指出，目前美国中南部及西南部正经歷危险、甚至可能打破纪录的高温。德州与奥克拉荷马州部分地区在星期一、8月24日，气温可能突破华氏105度，不少地方亦已发布高温警告。(National Weather Service⁠)

这次高温最令人担心的，不只是白天气温高，而是夜间温度也居高不下。当夜晚无法充分降温，人体缺少恢復的时间，老人、儿童、户外工作者及没有良好空调设备的家庭，所面临的健康风险也随之增加。

对德州居民来说，炎热原本就是夏季生活的一部分，但是近来极端高温持续时间之长，已经让我们不得不重新思考：未来的城市应该如何面对更炎热的气候？

高温首先考验的是电力系统。千家万户同时开动冷气，用电量快速上升，供电系统承受巨大压力。其次是户外工作者，包括建筑工人、园艺人员、道路施工人员、送货司机等，他们每天必须直接面对烈日，补充水分以及适当休息变得格外重要。

高温同样影响企业、农业、交通以及日常生活。一场极端天气带来的，已经不只是「今天很热」这麼简单，而是牵涉能源、医疗、公共安全和城市建设的整体问题。

尤其值得注意的是，美国气候预测中心8月23日表示，目前的极端高温可能在美国南部部分地区继续延伸，乾旱风险也可能随着高温及降雨不足而增加。(National Weather Service⁠)

我们生活在休斯敦，更能深深感受到酷暑的压力。每天从有冷气的室内走到户外，迎面而来的热浪，提醒我们城市未来的发展，除了道路、建筑与经济之外，也必须考虑更多绿地、遮阳设施、节能建筑、智慧电网以及对老人和弱势家庭的照顾。

科技进步可以让城市更加智慧，但真正的「智慧城市」，最终还是要以人的安全和生活品质為中心。

在这样的高温季节，我们也应该多关心身边的人。打电话问候独居长者，提醒家人多喝水，避免中午长时间暴露在烈日下，更不能将儿童或宠物留在停放的汽车内。

炎热的天气终究会过去，但极端气候给我们的警讯不能随之消失。

美国是一个有强大科技、资源和创新能力的国家。如何利用这些力量，让我们的城市更加安全、节能、更有韧性，将是未来的重要课题。

面对逼人的高温，我们不仅要学会适应，更要开始為下一代建设一个更安全、更宜居的家园。

Extreme Heat Grips the Nation

America Faces a Growing Test of Public Health and Urban Resilience

As late August arrives, much of the United States remains trapped under intense summer heat. Many people expected temperatures to begin easing as the season moves toward its end, yet extreme heat continues across Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, New Mexico, Arizona, and other parts of the country.

The most concerning part of this heat is not only the scorching daytime temperatures, but also the fact that many areas remain unusually warm at night. When temperatures stay high after sunset, the human body has less opportunity to recover. This creates greater risks for seniors, children, outdoor workers, and families without adequate air-conditioning.

For Texans, hot summers are nothing new. But the increasing intensity and duration of extreme heat are forcing us to consider an important question: How should our cities prepare for a hotter future?

One of the first challenges is electricity. When millions of homes and businesses turn on their air-conditioning at the same time, demand for power rises sharply and places enormous pressure on the electrical grid.

Outdoor workers face another serious challenge. Construction crews, landscapers, road workers, delivery drivers, and many others must continue working under the burning sun. Access to drinking water, shade, and regular rest breaks becomes essential to their health and safety.

Extreme heat also affects agriculture, transportation, businesses, medical services, and everyday family life. It is no longer simply a matter of saying, “Today is very hot.” Prolonged heat has become an issue involving energy, public health, infrastructure, economic productivity, and community safety.

Here in Houston, we understand the pressure of summer heat very well. Walking from an air-conditioned building into the outdoors can feel like stepping into an oven. Such conditions remind us that future city development cannot focus only on roads, buildings, and economic growth.

We also need more trees and green spaces, shaded public areas, energy-efficient buildings, reliable power systems, smart-grid technology, and stronger support for seniors and vulnerable families.

Technology can make a city smarter, but a truly smart city must ultimately place human safety and quality of life at its center.

During periods of extreme heat, community responsibility also becomes especially important. We should check on elderly neighbors who live alone, remind our families to drink enough water, avoid unnecessary outdoor activity during the hottest hours of the day, and never leave children or pets inside parked vehicles.

The heat will eventually pass, but the warning it gives us should not be forgotten.

America has tremendous technological strength, resources, and innovative capacity. The question is how we use those strengths to build communities that are safer, more energy-efficient, and better prepared for increasingly severe weather.

Facing extreme heat is not only about surviving another summer. It is about preparing today for the kind of cities and communities we want to leave to the next generation.