Heat-related deaths have increased 117% in the US since 1999 – report
As parts of the US continue to experience record-breaking heat waves, a new report finds that heat-related deaths in the country increased 117% between 1999 and 2023.
The reportA report published Monday by the Journal of the American Medical Association (Jama) found that more than 21,500 heat-related deaths were recorded in the US between 1999 and 2023.
The researchers used data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which also found that 1,069 deaths in 1999 were heat-related, compared to 2,325 in 2023 — representing a 117% increase.
The lowest number of heat-related deaths during the study period was 311 in 2004, while the highest number was 2,325 in 2023.
Before 2016, the researchers said, the number of heat-related deaths showed “year-to-year variability,” with peaks in 2006 and 2011. But after 2016, the number of heat-related deaths increased steadily each year.
“As temperatures continue to rise due to climate change, the recent upward trend is likely to continue,” the researchers wrote. “Local governments in high-risk areas should consider investing in expanding access to hydration centers and public cooling centers or other air-conditioned buildings.”
The researchers also highlighted that their study has limitations, including the possibility of “misclassification of causes of death, leading to potential underestimation of heat-related mortality rates” and a potential lack of data for vulnerable subgroups.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) says “heat stress is the leading cause of weather-related deaths,” and the number of people exposed to extreme heat globally is “growing exponentially” as a result of climate change, mainly due to the burning of fossil fuels.
“Heat waves and prolonged excessive heat are increasing in frequency, duration, intensity and magnitude due to climate change,” WHO added. “Even low- and moderate-intensity heat waves can affect the health and well-being of vulnerable populations.”
According to the WHO, extreme heat can not only lead to heatstroke and heat exhaustion, which can lead to death, but the strain on the body to cool itself can also put a strain on the heart and kidneys.
In addition, heat can also cause power outages and disrupt essential health services, the organization added. It can also affect transportation.
This week, the Midwest is bracing for what could be the hottest days of the summer, with 55 million Americans on high alert due to extreme heat.
Earlier this month, the American Red Cross announced that extreme heat caused by the climate crisis this summer was threatening the U.S. medical blood supply and contributing to a blood emergency.
That’s because more than 130 million Americans were under heat warnings in the month of July alone, and since the beginning of the year, 15 national heat records have been broken, experts say.
A report released last year by the US government found that the US is warming faster than the global average and that Americans are facing “far-reaching and worsening” impacts from the climate crisis – with every corner of the country facing “increasingly damaging consequences”.
Mitigating the climate crisis by reducing greenhouse gas emissions “is necessary and urgent” if “it is to limit the magnitude of the human costs of extreme heat,” the WHO said.