Thermal justice: New report examines threat of extreme heat, suggests culturally informed policies
Why it matters: Extreme heat kills more U.S. residents annually than hurricanes, floods, and tornadoes combined.
- Extreme heat kills more people annually in the U.S. than all other major natural disasters combined.
- Current policies often treat heat as a purely weather-related issue, focusing on temperature metrics, cooling technologies, and alerts.
- The new report suggests that culturally informed policies are necessary to effectively address the threat of extreme heat.
A new report highlights that extreme heat is the deadliest weather phenomenon in the U.S., surpassing hurricanes, floods, and tornadoes combined. It argues that current policy approaches, which focus solely on temperature metrics and cooling technologies, are insufficient.
