Cardiovascular
Heart Deaths Expected To Soar In Extreme Heat
Oct
- A new study from the American Heart Association projects more heart-related heat deaths.
- Heat is already the biggest weather killer in the U.S.
- This year is on pace to be the hottest ever recorded on Earth.
Heat is already considered the leading cause of weather-related deaths in the United States.
Now, a new study from the American Heart Association projects that cardiovascular deaths from extreme heat could more than double in less than 50 years.
What the research found:
-Heart-related deaths from extreme heat could increase by 233% in the next 13 to 47 years, if steps aren’t taken to reduce greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide that drive global warming.
-If current proposed policies to cut emissions are followed, the number of deaths could still rise by as much as 162% by the middle of this century.
-The research noted that demographics also play a role. People older than 65 and Black adults are at higher risk.
Senior meteorologist Chris Dolce adds:
-Earth’s global temperature set a new all-time record for each individual month from June through September this year. There’s now a greater than 99.5% chance 2023 will take the top spot for Earth’s warmest year, besting the previous record set in 2016, according to NOAA.
-In the U.S., Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Florida all had their warmest first nine months of the year.
-The outlook for this winter in the U.S. calls for warmer-than-average temperatures in much of the nation’s northern tier, while the Southeast might be somewhat cooler-than-average. That’s a pretty typical temperature pattern during El Niño winters like the one we are about to see, but it’s not 100% a guarantee because of other atmospheric conditions.
What else to know:
-Greenhouse gas emissions come mostly from the burning of fossil fuels for transportation and power generation.
-Particulate pollution, like what we saw over the summer from wildfires burning in Canada, increases the health risk. Hotter, drier conditions are driving more wildfires.
-The heart association study noted that a lack of air conditioning and lack of trees in urban heat islands is another contributing factor to the dangers of extreme heat.
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The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.
