Tracking Climate Change

Extreme heat events, or heat waves, are warmer than normal air masses that last for about a week. A heat wave, mixed with a warming climate during the summer, can cause major problems for people without air conditioning or living in urban areas. CDC tracks the effects of a heat wave by collecting and reviewing the number of health conditions reported from local hospitals and the number of deaths reported from state health departments. Reviewing these national data helps scientists make comparisons between environmental conditions and health problems.

Other examples of how heat vulnerability data can be used are to

• Identify populations and areas with high risk for heat-associated death.
• Gain a better understanding of trends in heat-related deaths over time.
• Compare states and counties to plan interventions.
• Identify communities at risk and the groups of people that may be at risk.

Linking climate change to a specific health problem is difficult. For example, a person having a heart attack may have other health conditions not related to heat exposure. However, the information CDC has used is a good starting point to track how climate change can affect your health.

Not all groups of people are at equal health risk from heat. Knowing where at-risk people are located can help cities focus their resources most effectively and state and regional facilities coordinate heat emergency plans.