Increasing tree cover and high-albedo surfaces reduces heat-related ER visits in Los Angeles, CA.

There is an urgent need for strategies to reduce the negative impacts of a warming climate on human health. Cooling urban neighborhoods by planting trees and vegetation and increasing albedo of roofs, pavements, and walls can mitigate urban heat. We used synoptic climatology to examine how different tree cover and albedo scenarios would affect heat-related morbidity in Los Angeles, CA, USA, as measured by emergency room (ER) visits.