Report: Climate Change Causing Rise in Heat-Related Deaths

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Above: Residents lounge near the water on Alameda Beach in Alameda, California, on Oct. 2, 2024, during an exceptional heat wave across the Bay Area and inland. Image copyright: Jessica Christian/Contributor/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images

The Facts

  • According to the 2024 Lancet Countdown report, the average person last year experienced 50 more days of dangerously high temperatures — leading to increased rates of infectious diseases, droughts, food insecurity, and deaths.

  • Among the impacts were a 167% increase in the mortality rate for people aged 65 and older compared to the 1990s, increased heat stress hours by 27.7%, decreased sleep hours by 6%, and deteriorated mental health.

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The Spin

Narrative A

Global warming is the foundation of the rise in hydrometeorological disasters, from hurricanes to tornadoes to floods. What's scariest of all is how heat in and of itself is killing more people than those other events combined, as humans simply cannot bear the rapid temperature jumps every year. Unfortunately, continual record-breaking heat waves have become the norm for this generation, but humanity can still protect the future if carbon emissions are slashed.

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Narrative B

While temperatures have steadily risen over the last 50 years, there's been no exponential increase in the rate of warming. Carbon emissions, too, have remained flat or declined over the last decade. The energy industry is already on a carbon-reducing path, from fracking and nuclear energy to solar panels and windmills. This, alongside disaster prevention policies like forest management and urban engineering, is what humanity needs — not destroying industries or economies.

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