Record breaking heat, heat waves vs. heat domes, the heat index, wet-bulb temperatures, El Ni?o and La Ni?a … ENOUGH with the physics, meteorology, and quantification of extreme heat. There are other heat stories to tell; stories that are not being told or are being told superficially with few voices.? ????
Although heat is the #1 health and death threat from climate change …
- And the medical community considers climate change to be the “biggest global threat of the 21st century” the majority of medical and nursing schools don’t offer courses on climate change. And, when they do, it’s typically only as an elective during didactic training. #NotGoodEnough
- Public health heat messages are generic and stereotypical. “Stay Hydrated” means what? Drink lots of coke? Extra beers? Go for a swim? We don’t know how these messages are being interpreted because there is no empirical framework for public health heat messaging. And the “Stay Cool” message is meaningless to millions of people who must work in the heat, those who can’t afford the hefty price tag that comes along with AC use, and the unhoused. Heat is not a one-size-fits all problem. #NotGoodEnough
- Screening protocols, fundamental to preventative health care, are not in place for extreme heat. Women in their 3rd trimester of pregnancy who are exposed to 95°F?for 3 or more consecutive days are at a 27% increased risk for serious complications, including sepsis, ?hemorrhage and clotting disorders. Most OB/GYNs are not screening for extreme heat. #NotGoodEnough
- Heat affects every system in the human body and in complex, nuanced ways. Heat exacerbates mental health conditions, including bipolar disorders, schizophrenia, depression, and anxiety; suicides increase as does substance abuse and incidents of domestic violence when temperatures rise. Although nearly 58 million Americans, 23% of the population, have mental illness, the connection between heat + mental health is not being routinely screened, tracked, or integrated into treatment plans. #NotGoodEnough
- Heat-related mortality and morbidity data is a gross underestimate of the true scale of the problem. We don’t really know what the full impact of heat is on human health. Where is evidence-based medicine for heat? #NotGoodEnough
- Emerging research shows that even moderate temperatures can adversely affect human health; it can have a larger impact than more extreme temperatures. The impact heat poses for human health goes beyond heat strokes and heat exhaustion. A deeper dive is needed. #NotGoodEnough
- Troubling equity and health issues are embedded in extreme heat. Two-thirds of Texas prisoners are housed in facilities that are not air-conditioned during brutal, inhumane, and life-threatening heat; Florida and Texas eliminated mandatory water and shade breaks for workers while industry continues to fight legislation to provide basic heat protection and safety for workers; and the unsheltered are on the frontlines of extreme heat, the first to die and the most impacted, accounting for almost half of all heat-related deaths. #NotGoodEnough
- Few cities include public health directives or interventions in municipal climate action plans. The primary focus for heat mitigation and adaptation is infrastructure and energy, not people. Climate action plans need to be holistic, dynamic, systemic, and grounded in public health and equity. Cooling centers, trees, and parks are #NotGoodEnough
We are in unchartered territory when it comes to extreme heat and climate change. Yet, the ?stories ?we are telling – and re-telling – are monolithic and formulaic. There are more stories to tell than those centered around physics, weather patterns, geological time scales, and communication discourse. #NotGoodEnough.
“Silent and invisible killers of silenced and invisible people, the social conditions that make heat waves so deadly do not so much disappear from view as fail to register with newsmakers and their audiences ..." Eric Klinenberg, Heat Wave: A Social Autopsy of Disaster in Chicago ?
