How extreme heat will affect the most marginalized communities by 2050
A recent report by the ICF Climate Center examined how extreme heat projections will affect historically marginalized groups.
The world is warming, we know this. But what does that all imply?
It’s hard to imagine, especially for a date as far off as 2050.
A recently released report by the ICF Climate Center examined projections for how heat waves might affect historically marginalized communities (Justice40 communities).
Even if we cut back our fossil fuel use in the coming decades, at least 25 million Americans from these marginalized communities will face increased exposure to extreme heat by 2050, the report found. Extreme heat is defined as at least 48 days a year of health-threatening temperatures.
That number is 41 million Americans outside of those communities.
If we don’t cut back our fossil fuel use and things are just business as usual, 54 million people from marginalized groups will be exposed to extreme heat and 96 million of folks outside those groups.
Of course, historically disadvantaged communities face outsized risks from extreme weather.
And rising temperatures also pose a threat to energy reliability.
Read more from my colleague Hayley Smith: How much worse will extreme heat get by 2050? New report outlines worrisome future
It’s hard to imagine, especially for a date as far off as 2050.
A recently released report by the ICF Climate Center examined projections for how heat waves might affect historically marginalized communities (Justice40 communities).
Even if we cut back our fossil fuel use in the coming decades, at least 25 million Americans from these marginalized communities will face increased exposure to extreme heat by 2050, the report found. Extreme heat is defined as at least 48 days a year of health-threatening temperatures.
That number is 41 million Americans outside of those communities.
If we don’t cut back our fossil fuel use and things are just business as usual, 54 million people from marginalized groups will be exposed to extreme heat and 96 million of folks outside those groups.
Of course, historically disadvantaged communities face outsized risks from extreme weather.
And rising temperatures also pose a threat to energy reliability.
Read more from my colleague Hayley Smith: How much worse will extreme heat get by 2050? New report outlines worrisome future
