Abstract

What is extreme heat, and who does it impact? How do communities confront and adapt to it? This zine brings together street photography, field notes, and personal reflections from two ethnographers exploring the streets of Phoenix. Extreme heat, an increasingly intense hazard exacerbated by climate change, raises pressing questions of equity and environmental justice. While the wealthy are often shielded in air-conditioned spaces, unhoused individuals endure relentless exposure to scorching air and pavements. This zine critically examines the impacts of extreme heat on urban life, questioning society’s reliance on technology, capitalism’s role in perpetuating vulnerabilities, and the inequalities that shape who suffers most in a warming world.