Opinion: Current heat warning systems are woefully inadequate in an age of climate change
Currently, weather warnings for heat are issued based on the probability and magnitude of the heat event itself, rather than health outcomes.
I’ve spent a decade studying the health impacts of extreme heat. In the communities I’ve studied, people don’t care to debate the origins of climate change or whether it’s even real. They care about how many times they have to choose between buying food or medicine and running their air conditioner. They think about paying their water bill or their power bill, because they can’t afford both.
Despite these very real consequences of extreme heat, the U.S. has lagged behind other nations in both recognizing the risk of extreme heat and organizing the necessary resources and capacity to address it.
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