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ysabetwordsmithExtreme heat limits safe activity for millions of people worldwide
Extreme heat is now stopping people from doing simple daily tasks like walking, cleaning, or working outside.
A new study shows that climate warming has changed how much activity the human body can safely handle in hot weather.
Scientists found that since the 1950s, the number of hours each year when heat becomes dangerous for normal activity has increased sharply.
Yesterday it got up to 79℉, in Illinois, in early March. That is not normal. I rely on cool spring temperatures for yardwork such as planting bare-root trees and shrubs. I had to start my summer heat-coping skills, like avoiding direct sunlight and reducing workload. Plus we had to turn on the damn air conditioner, because recently when it was 76℉ outside, the house got considerably hotter and stayed that way through the wee hours. >_<
Summer, of course, has days when I can only go out for a few minutes at a time or not at all, and I worry about the air conditioner breaking because repairs take months to complete. It's life support for me, but other people don't consider that urgent.
Scientists describe “livability” as the ability to safely perform everyday activities such as walking, cleaning, or light work without the body overheating. When heat becomes too strong, these activities become unsafe.
Now consider that some important jobs -- such as construction, road repair, and farming -- require heavy work outdoors for long hours in summer. These will be impacted substantially by climate change. In America, it's legal to murder employees by forcing them to work in dangerously hot weather; companies have resisted limitations to that. But no amount of force can keep those employees alive in killing heat; that's biology, not politics.
The team found that in some places the weather can already create “unlivable” conditions during the hottest hours of the year. In these situations, even sitting quietly in the shade may cause the body temperature to rise.
That's the wet-bulb threshold.
The results show that dangerous heat is becoming more common. Young adults aged 18 to 40 now face about twice as many hours each year when heat makes normal activity unsafe compared with the mid twentieth century.
Also, acute kidney injury used to heal reliably but no longer does; it can turn chronic. Repeated heat damage can cripple or kill kidneys.
In several tropical regions, the hottest hours already allow only very light activity such as sitting or lying down.
The researchers found that about 35 percent of the world’s population now lives in areas where heat can strongly limit activity during the hottest hours of the year.
For older adults, the impact is even larger. Around three quarters of the global population lives in regions where heat can restrict activity during the hottest hours.
That's going to lead to population drops in the hottest areas, as people flee or die.
Extreme heat does not affect everyone equally. People living in poorer communities often have fewer ways to escape dangerous temperatures.
Plus they're often hotter to begin with: urban density, few or no street trees, little or no surface water, flimsy buildings, etc. all contribute to higher heat.
The researchers hope their study will encourage stronger efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and slow climate change.
Not when all the meetings happen in climate-controlled rooms. All the deciders enjoy air conditioning. If we could drag the lazy fuckers outside in 110℉ heat, that might help.
Extreme heat is now stopping people from doing simple daily tasks like walking, cleaning, or working outside.
A new study shows that climate warming has changed how much activity the human body can safely handle in hot weather.
Scientists found that since the 1950s, the number of hours each year when heat becomes dangerous for normal activity has increased sharply.
Yesterday it got up to 79℉, in Illinois, in early March. That is not normal. I rely on cool spring temperatures for yardwork such as planting bare-root trees and shrubs. I had to start my summer heat-coping skills, like avoiding direct sunlight and reducing workload. Plus we had to turn on the damn air conditioner, because recently when it was 76℉ outside, the house got considerably hotter and stayed that way through the wee hours. >_<
Summer, of course, has days when I can only go out for a few minutes at a time or not at all, and I worry about the air conditioner breaking because repairs take months to complete. It's life support for me, but other people don't consider that urgent.
Scientists describe “livability” as the ability to safely perform everyday activities such as walking, cleaning, or light work without the body overheating. When heat becomes too strong, these activities become unsafe.
Now consider that some important jobs -- such as construction, road repair, and farming -- require heavy work outdoors for long hours in summer. These will be impacted substantially by climate change. In America, it's legal to murder employees by forcing them to work in dangerously hot weather; companies have resisted limitations to that. But no amount of force can keep those employees alive in killing heat; that's biology, not politics.
The team found that in some places the weather can already create “unlivable” conditions during the hottest hours of the year. In these situations, even sitting quietly in the shade may cause the body temperature to rise.
That's the wet-bulb threshold.
The results show that dangerous heat is becoming more common. Young adults aged 18 to 40 now face about twice as many hours each year when heat makes normal activity unsafe compared with the mid twentieth century.
Also, acute kidney injury used to heal reliably but no longer does; it can turn chronic. Repeated heat damage can cripple or kill kidneys.
In several tropical regions, the hottest hours already allow only very light activity such as sitting or lying down.
The researchers found that about 35 percent of the world’s population now lives in areas where heat can strongly limit activity during the hottest hours of the year.
For older adults, the impact is even larger. Around three quarters of the global population lives in regions where heat can restrict activity during the hottest hours.
That's going to lead to population drops in the hottest areas, as people flee or die.
Extreme heat does not affect everyone equally. People living in poorer communities often have fewer ways to escape dangerous temperatures.
Plus they're often hotter to begin with: urban density, few or no street trees, little or no surface water, flimsy buildings, etc. all contribute to higher heat.
The researchers hope their study will encourage stronger efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and slow climate change.
Not when all the meetings happen in climate-controlled rooms. All the deciders enjoy air conditioning. If we could drag the lazy fuckers outside in 110℉ heat, that might help.
