Climate change is a major topic this week as hundreds of thousands of people descended upon the streets of New York to participate in the People's Climate March on Sept. 21. Activists also flooded Wall Street on Sept. 22 to protest the financial sector profiting from the fossil fuel industry.
This all led up to the United Nations Climate Summit on Sept. 23, which will lay the groundwork for drafting a plan to combat global warming worldwide. If all of this hasn't convinced you that climate change is a pressing issue that needs to be addressed, maybe this new research will.
A new study published in The Journal of the American Medical Association on Sept. 22 found that major U.S. cities could have their number of hottest days double or triple by mid-century. This could have serious health effects on Americans.
New York experienced 13 days on average that reached temperatures greater than 90 degrees during the latter half of the 20th century, according to the study. However, by 2050, that number could jump to 39 days on average. The trend continues for other major cities, including Milwaukee (an average of nine days a year to 25), Dallas (15 days on average to 35 annually, reaching temperatures above 100 degrees) and Atlanta (an average of 30 days a year to 57, exceeding 100-degree weather).
We don't even have to wait until 2050 to know that the days are getting hotter. A study released last week by NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies found that August 2014 had the highest recorded global temperatures for that month since 1880, when records started being kept.
Not only do warmer days just make us sweaty and uncomfortable, but they also may make us sick. There were an average of 658 annual-certified heat-related deaths in the U.S. between 1999 and 2009, according to this study, a number that would likely increase if we face more extremely hot days per year in the future. Higher temperatures may also inhibit outdoor workers from working, which could negatively impact certain countries' economies. More natural disasters could increase cases of post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety and depression. Respiratory problems, allergies and food safety are also among the health issues at risk because of climate change.
As most reports suggest, this study also recommends the need to reduce carbon emissions and take "steps to anticipate and reduce threats" to public health in order to lessen the effects of climate change on public health.
Staying healthy and adding years onto your life are just two more reasons why everyone should recognize that global warming is a real problem that needs all of our attention.
