Health Hotline Magazine | June 2024

HEAT

BUILDING IN THE FACE OF A RESILIENCY

WARMING CLIMATE By Lindsay Wilson

Data from the United States show that an increase in days 90 degrees and above is associated with an average of 1,373 extra deaths each year. Meanwhile, research published in 2023 estimated that more than 61,000 people died from heat-related causes in Europe between May 30th and September 4th 2022, Europe’s hottest sum mer on record. Elderly people—especially women—were the most affected. Infants and young children, pregnant women, those with chronic medical conditions, athletes, outdoor and agricultural workers, and lower-income populations are also more vulnerable to extreme heat. But our bodies have an incredible ability to adapt to our environments, and this is true with building adaptability and resiliency to heat. 2023 was the world’s hottest year on record, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which released the analysis early this year. “Not only was 2023 the warmest year in NOAA’s 174-year climate record,” NOAA Chief Scientist Dr. Sarah Kapnick said, “it was the warmest by far.” Last summer, nearly every continent on the planet saw record-breaking temperatures, with June through August being the hottest three-month period in recorded history. This kind of heat is not just uncomfortable—it can be deadly.

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