Urban residents adapt to extreme heat through food delivery service in China

Abstract More frequent heat events globally prompt behavioral adaptations such as reducing outdoor activities to relieve potential distress. The emergence of innovative daily life services in cities offers new avenues for implementing such adaptive strategies. Here we investigate whether urban residents augment food delivery consumption as an immediate response to heat in China. Analyzing extensive individual-level food delivery data from a major platform across 100 Chinese cities from 2017 to 2023, we observe a significant surge in lunchtime orders, exceeding 10%, as temperatures escalate from 20°C to 35°C, and reaching 20% at 40°C. These increments, coupled with reduced heat exposure via food delivery, are more pronounced among female, high-income, and older individuals, signifying varying degrees of benefit among specific vulnerable groups. Projections under the RCP8.5 global warming scenario indicate a persistent rise in food delivery demand and the associated mitigation of heat exposure by mid-century. Our findings underscore significant policy implications for climate change adaptation and highlight the pivotal role of urban daily life services in alleviating heat-related challenges for urban sustainability.