Hello Fellow Netizens,
As summer approaches, we all have felt a change in the weather. Cold air has been slowly overtaken by warm breezes, and once bare trees have now covered themselves with lush greenery. In Washington D.C. where I live, this was certainly the case, although some may argue that it feels more like the weather in our area swings wildly from warm to cold. Regardless, as May turns to June, we all will have to ditch our winter coats for shorts at some point and begin to enjoy summer as nature intended. Wonderful as all of that sounds, I would not be writing about this topic if there wasn’t a caveat to it (sorry to spoil your notions of summer).
What’s Wrong With A Little Heat?
Before I continue, lets get one thing out of the way:
I am not here to defend the existence or validity of climate change, simply because there is nothing to debate on. Climate change is real, end of story.
Now, with that in mind, lets move on to the topic at hand: summer heat. Already, scorching temperatures have affected parts of South and Southeast Asia, where countries like the Philippines had to close down schools due to average temperatures reaching around 40 degrees Celsius (100 degrees Fahrenheit!). There are even reports of heat associated illnesses and deaths in countries like Thailand and Vietnam, where many are being told to avoid staying outdoors for long periods of time. Based on the World Meteorological Organization’s report on the weather phenomenon, climate change is the main culprit behind the extreme heat. El Niño also plays a role, although most agree that it works alongside already altered weather patterns that are linked with human intervention.
This is a heat map showing average temperatures around the world as of May 4, 2024. Note the increased temperatures currently affecting much of India and parts of Southeast Asia.
Source: Climate Reanalyzer, Climate Change Institute, University of Maine, using data from the National Centers for Environmental Prediction Global Forecast System.
What About Us?
The United States is going to be facing an extreme summer ahead, according to forecast predictions by AccuWeather. An increase in the number of 90+ degree Fahrenheit days, Midwest storms and hurricanes are just some of what we are going to expect for the summer of 2024. If we look back at last year’s averages as an indication for what’s to come, these predictions seem to make sense. According to data collected by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), much of the country (especially the coastline regions and the South) experienced increases in averages temperatures for July of 2023 (see heat maps below).
“(left) Average July temperatures across the contiguous United States based on data from 1991-2020. (center) Temperatures in July 2023. (right) July 2023 temepratures compared to average. NOAA Climate.gov images, based on data from NOAA NCEI.”
“U.S. climate summary for July 2023” – By NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information. Published August 9, 2023.
From the same article by NOAA, we spent a total of 15 billion dollars on weather and climate disasters that occurred between January and July of 2023, which is the most since 1980. Data collected by the National Hurricane Center and Central Pacific Hurricane Center also indicates that the number of hurricanes hitting the United States has increased since the 1960s.
So? How Is This a Public Health Issue?
Climate change has a direct impact on your health. The World Health Organization has a whole page dedicated to the topic if you want to learn about global impacts, but to give you information closer to home here is a great summary (along with an infographic courtesy of the American Public Health Association).
- Higher temperatures can lead to increased rates of heat-related conditions and deaths; one article concluded that “…during 2004 to 2018, an average of 702 heat-related deaths (415 with heat as the underlying cause and 287 as a contributing cause) occurred in the United States annually.”
- Higher temperatures can spread diseases into the United States that we don’t normally deal with. For example, last year there were reported cases of dengue in Florida and Texas; what is notable about them is that the patients had no history of travel near the point of infection. While dengue is more common in other parts of the world (normally tropical regions), the United States normally does not see cases of dengue that are endemically spread. Increased temperatures could worsen this since the mosquito that carries the dengue virus is in the United States and relies on heat to propagate.
- Its EXPENSIVE! One study found that heat-related medical incidents cost our healthcare system around 1 billion (million with a “b”) dollars! This not only places a financial burden on patients who are at higher risk for developing heat-related conditions (ex. people facing housing insecurity or homelessness), but also drives costs for everyone via increased insurance rates from high utilization of medical services.
If I Cared About This, What Can I Do?
We need to get to the root of the issue: climate change. The United Nations has a great page outlining 12 steps that you can do to limit the effects of pollution on our environment. While I would love to preach to you fellow readers about each step, I’m sure both you and I are well-versed in most of the messages out there (you know: “reduce, reuse, recycle” or using renewable energy).
The major item that I really want to stress for this article is advocacy, specifically within your social circles and local governments. Just like how climate change is real, denial for it is also exists. Traditionally, denial meant saying outright that climate change is a hoax or that it is a lie spread by a “corrupt” scientific community. Now, the movement has found a new tactic to spread their message known as “new denial“. They have become insidious; instead of outright denial, they try to sow doubt over the data and even re-frame climate change as a good thing (talk about scary).
If I learned anything through my years with research and study of the sciences, it is that you need to have a strong conviction in the scientific method to combat ideas like climate change denial. Some good practices for me to accomplish this include:
- Do the research! If you aren’t sure about a topic or issue, find and collect data for yourself to make an informed judgement (use research articles or trusted journals, not Facebook/Instagram/TikTok…).
- Educate others! I learned this while I was a Teaching Assistant in college: you can be an expert in a topic if you can confidently teach the material to another person. If you want to be sure that you can be an effective climate change advocate, educate your friends and family on the topic (this serves as practice for when you have to debate a denier, although I would not recommend confronting one unless you feel safe and comfortable doing so).
- Vote! Having competent leaders in government helps tremendously when advancing environment-conscious policies. We also need people in power who can advocate for vulnerable populations, such as those who are facing homelessness or housing insecurity (to learn more about these topics, check out my article!). Voicing your opinions through letters, emails, or phone calls helps your representatives know that this is an issue you (their constituent) care about.
If you love videos, check out this one by the CDC that summarizes much of what the article talks about:
Well, I hope you learned something fellow Netizens! Have a wonderful summer and don’t forget to wear plenty of sunscreen!
Featured Photo: Photo by Nitin Dhumal: https://www.pexels.com/photo/red-lens-sunglasses-on-sand-near-sea-at-sunset-selective-focus-photography-46710/
Disclaimer: This article reflects the author’s own opinions and statements. They do not reflect the opinions or stances of any organization affiliated with the author.