Grist: There are hot islands, there are really hot islands, and then there are urban heat islands [PDF] - cities that are hotter, often considerably, than their more rural surrounds. Sound a little strange? Well, you can tell your foil-hat wearing, climate denying friends its nothing new, having been documented as far back as 1810. Simply put, cutting down all the trees, paving over every inch of earth, burying streams in slew ways, and building enormous structures warms things up a bit.
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