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Raising the temperature: A critical geographical perspective on heat
1School of Geographical Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK.
Progress in Environmental Geography
|May 4, 2026
Summary
Global heat is a growing threat, causing more deaths than any other climate event. This review highlights how critical geography can better understand heat
Area of Science:
- Environmental Science
- Human Geography
- Climate Studies
Background:
- Extreme heat events are a significant and increasing global health risk, surpassing other climate-related weather phenomena in mortality.
- Heat is a complex phenomenon with physical, meteorological, environmental, social, technical, cultural, embodied, and political dimensions.
- Existing critical geographical research on heat is fragmented, necessitating a consolidated understanding.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review and synthesize disparate critical geographical perspectives on heat.
- To identify key themes in geographical scholarship concerning heat's impacts and materiality.
- To advocate for foregrounding heat within critical (human) geography.
Main Methods:
- Systematic literature review of critical geographical scholarship on heat.
- Thematic analysis of research covering inequalities, vulnerabilities, governance, infrastructure, labor, cultures, practices, atmospheres, and attunements.
- Synthesis of diverse geographical viewpoints on the multifaceted nature of heat.
Main Results:
- Identified key research areas: inequalities and vulnerabilities, governance and violence, infrastructure and labor, cultures and practices, and atmospheres and attunements.
- Demonstrated the complex materiality of heat, integrating physical, social, and political dimensions.
- Highlighted the need for a more cohesive geographical approach to understanding heat's differential impacts.
Conclusions:
- Critical (human) geography possesses unique tools to analyze the complex, multifaceted nature of heat.
- Foregrounding heat is essential for addressing its disproportionate impacts and understanding its complex materiality.
- A unified geographical perspective can enhance our comprehension of heat as a defining characteristic of contemporary life.
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