Winters are growing milder, humid summers are hotter, and the urban heat island effect traps even more heat in Rhode Island’s cities. From May through September 2025, Rhode Island Energy sent more than 170,000 notices warning customers of disconnection for nonpayment. Unequal burden of extreme heatThe Seamen’s Church Institute, serving Newport residents for more than a century, has taken a new role as a cooling center. Newport looks to trees for reliefWhen living collections manager Joe Verstandig joined the Newport Tree Conservancy in 2021, the organization had a goal of increasing the city’s tree canopy. The Newport Housing Authority didn’t respond to ecoRI News’ request for comment.