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Serving Northern St. Louis County, Minnesota

Heat is also a climate change problem

Posted 7/24/24

We think of climate change as causing flooding, drought, physical destruction, wildfires, and hurricanes, blackouts and health issues for humans.  Extreme heat, however, is the number one …

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Heat is also a climate change problem

Posted

We think of climate change as causing flooding, drought, physical destruction, wildfires, and hurricanes, blackouts and health issues for humans. 
Extreme heat, however, is the number one climate change killer in the U.S.  More people die from extreme heat than floods, hurricanes, and tornadoes combined. Heat waves around the world are becoming hotter, more frequent, and longer.  High temperatures cause multiple health issues such as heat stroke, cramps, exhaustion and death.  Moreover, heat waves reduce agricultural crops and milk production and increases cattle mortality.  These diminishing resources contribute to inflation. 
The Biden Administration has drafted regulations to protect workers exposed to extreme heat on the job by establishing safety standards for excess heat in working places.
Severe temperatures impact transportation systems.  Helicopters can handle wind, fog, and smoke, but cannot fly during soaring temperatures on rescue missions or transport medical patients to other hospitals.  When air gets hot, it has less density.  It is difficult for planes to take off in “thin” air, especially for helicopters.
Ground transportation is affected by extreme temperatures. Trains move slower due to the heat because tracks over-heat and buckle forcing major reduction in speed to avoid derailments. Oppressive heat has curtailed travel for trucks and cars on highways due to expansion, warp, and buckle of the roads. Delayed delivery times and possible spoilage add to inflation costs.
Perhaps the most chilling aspect to man-made severe global heating is the acceleration of the life cycles and expanded range of mosquitoes carrying the dengue virus from tropical areas northward to primarily Texas and Florida.  Cases have also been reported in Arizona, California, New York, New Jersey, and one case in Hennepin County, here in Minnesota.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, up to 400 million people have gotten infected with dengue, 100 million got sick from infection, and 40,000 died from severe dengue. There is no cure for the virus.
Raising Earth’s temperature is caused by greenhouse emissions of heat-trapping gas pollutants primarily from carbon products of oil and gas.  Yet the major companies responsible for heating of the atmosphere have avoided curtailing their carbon production and keep drilling for more oil with no consideration of alternatives. 
They support the presidential candidate who thinks global warming is a hoax.  If Trump becomes President, he immediately plans to roll back environmental and climate regulations to the detriment of our planet.
Gerry Snyder
Ely