Heat-related deaths to increase in NYC
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E-mail Xinhua, May 22, 2013
New York city may see deaths from heat rise by as many as 20 percent in the 2020s and 90 percent by the 2080s in a worst-case scenario, according to a study published in this week’s journal Nature Climate Change.
The study was done by Columbia University's Earth Institute and the Mailman School of Public Health.
Higher winter temperatures may cut cold-related mortality, but net temperature-related deaths may still climb by the 2080s, according to a statement detailing the findings.
“This serves as reminder that heat events are one of the greatest hazards faced by urban populations around the globe,” said Radley Horton, a climate scientist at the Earth Institute's Center for Climate Systems Research and a co-author.
The study is the most thorough examination to date of how global warming is likely to alter monthly temperature-related mortality in a major metropolitan area, at a time when the world is becoming increasingly urbanized and mayors are pursuing climate adaptation projects in the world.
Extreme heat is already the No. 1 weather-related killer in the U.S., killing an average of 117 people per year during the 2003-2012 period, according to data from climatecentral.com.
Hot temperatures can contribute to cardiovascular disease, aggravate respiratory illness, and cause heat stroke, among other life-threatening conditions.
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