Heat-induced conditions are one of the leading causes of weather-related death in the United States. According to the US Centre for Disease Control (CDC), on average more than 650 people die each year from exposure to heat. Those most at risk are people over the age of 65 and children up to four-years-old. There is, however, hope to prevent thousands of deaths if excess carbon emissions around the globe are tackled in the year 2020.
A study by the University of Bristol, UK, has found a way to cut down the number of deaths in major US cities.
By sticking to climate change goals set by the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement, the rise of sweltering temperatures can be kept at bay.
The Paris Climate Goals aims to keep global temperatures below 2C degrees of pre-industrial levels.
At the same time, the climate agreement hopes to limit the effects of global warming to just 1.5C degrees.
Researchers at the University of Bristol have now called for more action ahead of the next round of talks in 2020.
They presented their findings in a study published today (June 5) in the journal Science Advances.
Lead author, Dr Eunice Lo from Bristol’s Cabot Institute, said: “If global temperature rise is reduced to 1.5C from where we are headed, the cities’ exposure to extreme heat would decrease and up to thousands of annual heat-related deaths could be avoided per city.
“Strengthened climate actions are needed as they would substantially benefit public health in the United States.”
Exposure to scorching temperatures often leads to severe dehydration, heat stroke, nausea, heat exhaustion and fainting.
Up to thousands of annual heat-related deaths could be avoided
Dr Eunice Lo, University of Bristol
The CDC in the US warns heat exhaustion and heat stroke are the deadliest heat-related condition to be aware of.
In the UK, the NHS similarly encourages people to keep hydrated and in the shade during prolonged periods of intense heat, such as heatwaves.
Heatwaves can affect anyone but are particularly dangerous to the most vulnerable, people over the age of 75 and young children and babies.
Nations which have signed the Paris Climate Agreement are required to submit their climate pledge every five years.
Climate scientists at Bristol believe that lowering global warming in accordance with the lower Paris accord estimates could avoid anywhere between 110 and 2,720 deaths a year.
Keeping up with the upper end of the Paris Climate Goal, on the other hand, would prevent between 70 to 1,980 deaths per city.
Study co-author Professor Dann Mitchell said: “We are no longer counting the impact of climate in change in terms of degrees of global warming, but rather in terms of number of lives lost.
“Our study brings together a wide range of physical and social complexities to show just how human lives could be impacted if we do not cut carbon emissions.
“Considering the US citizens that will be adversely affected by increasing global temperatures, we strongly encourage them to hold their politicians to account.”
The US pulled out of the Paris Agreement in 2017, following President Donald Trump’s fears the accords would “undermine” the US economy.
The decision was widely deplored by the scientific community.
There are, however, individual states like California and New York, which have committed to meeting the Paris goals.
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