As summer officially begins, the United States is bracing for a prolonged period of scorching heat. The Midwest and Mid-Atlantic regions are set to experience temperatures in the mid to upper 90s, while the Southeast could see temperatures exceeding 110 degrees. The National Weather Service has deemed these temperatures “anomalous and dangerous for early summer.” Unfortunately, relief during the night will be minimal, leaving those without access to air conditioning vulnerable.
According to a recent report by climate scientists at World Weather Attribution, the frequency of such extreme heatwaves has significantly increased due to human-induced climate change. In the year 2000, this level of heat was expected to occur only once in a lifetime for individuals in North and Central America. However, now, on average, people will experience it five or six times in their lifetime. The report attributes this uptick to “fossil fuel driven warming,” which has made heatwaves in the region 35 times more likely to occur.
The impact of these heatwaves extends beyond discomfort; it poses a severe threat to public health. Dr. Catharina Giudice, a FXB Climate Change & Human Health Fellow at Harvard, warns that extreme heat increases the rates of cardiovascular, respiratory, and renal diseases. Moreover, it jeopardizes the stability of the electrical grid, which can have dire consequences for communities and healthcare facilities. Unfortunately, socially vulnerable populations bear the brunt of these impacts.
A 2021 report from the Environmental Protection Agency highlights that Black people in the US are 40 percent more likely than other racial groups to reside in areas with the highest projected increases in extreme temperature-related deaths. Furthermore, studies have revealed unexpected correlations between higher temperatures and increased rates of preterm births, with Black mothers being at 2.5 times greater risk than white populations. These findings are particularly concerning given the existing maternal health crisis in the US, especially in marginalized communities.
The authors of the World Weather Attribution report, including Friederike Otto, a senior lecturer in climate science at Grantham Institute, emphasize the urgent need to combat both fossil fuel emissions and inequality. They assert that stopping the burning of fossil fuels as quickly as possible is crucial to mitigating the worsening heatwaves.
While individuals seek ways to stay cool during this heatwave, it is essential to consider the broader implications of our actions. A recent Washington Post story sheds light on the environmental impact of artificial intelligence, which drives an expansion of fossil fuel use, including the delay in retiring coal-fired plants.