Summer heat isn’t just uncomfortable — it’s one of the leading environmental causes of injury, illness, and death worldwide. And with global temperatures rising every year, extreme heat is becoming a more frequent, more dangerous fact of life. The good news? Your behavior is your most powerful weapon against it.
Heat waves are now the leading environmental cause of death worldwide, killing tens of thousands of people every year — and climate change is making it worse. As global temperatures continue to rise, what used to be rare, deadly heat waves are becoming more common, threatening the health of millions and pushing some regions toward conditions where humid heat becomes unlivable. This deep dive explores the science behind heat stress, why humidity is so dangerous, who is most at risk, and how both individuals and entire societies can adapt and protect themselves in a rapidly warming world. Reading Time: 30… Read More »Climate Change, Deadly Heat and You
Firefighter and EMT William Dorsey lifts a migrant woman suffering from heat exhaustion onto a stretcher near the border city of Eagle Pass on Saturday. A stifling June heat wave in Texas has caused deaths and hospitalizations across the state. Credit: REUTERS/Kaylee Greenlee Beal By Erin Douglas, The Texas Tribune June 30, 2023 “Emergency room visits surge, Texans die amid dangerous heat wave” was first published by The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan media organization that informs Texans — and engages with them — about public policy, politics, government and statewide issues. Sign up for The Brief, The Texas Tribune’s daily newsletter… Read More »Emergency room visits surge, Texans die amid dangerous heat wave
Heat waves kill hundreds to thousands of people around the world every summer. Global warming is making it worse. An especially hot summer day today will be a normal summer day in the future. And the rare, deadly heat wave of today will become common. In this post we’ll take a deep dive into the medical aspects of heat illness and the link to climate change. According to the CDC, heat is the leading cause of weather related death in the US. From 1999 to 2009 heat exposure killed 7,800 people. Not only that, but heat makes chronic medical problems… Read More »Climate Change, Deadly Heat and You
Welcome back to What’s Hot in Climate Change, a sample of a few of the stories that stood out from the past few weeks in climate change news. We hope your summer has been a good one so far. It’s been pretty damn hot here in Houston, hot as ever, but even so 2016 is already on track to blow away global records for the hottest year ever recorded. Which brings us to out top stories — a story of fire and ice. Extreme Heat in the Middle East Two places in the Middle East hit 129 degrees fahrenheit (53 centigrade) on July 15th.… Read More »What’s Hot in Climate Change – August 2016