Ashley Siefert Nunes
WASHINGTON—Last year was the hottest on record globally, adding to a long-term trend: The last 11 years have been the 11 hottest on record. Based on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) seasonal outlook, the entire country should brace itself for above average temperatures this summer.
Climate change, largely driven by fossil fuel use, is making extreme heat days more frequent and intense across the country, especially during what the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) has coined “Danger Season”—the time roughly from May through October when hurricanes and other disasters worsened by climate change are at their peak and increasingly likely to collide with one another. People in several states, including California, Oregon and Washington, are facing extreme heat alerts today and thus far, 65% of extreme heat alerts since May 1 have had a clear climate signal, per the UCS Danger Season tracker.
Heat is historically the deadliest climate impact in the United States year after year. And this summer, while temperatures climb, the Trump administration is cutting staff and funds for vital agencies, such as NOAA, making it even more challenging to keep people safe during weather extremes like heat waves. The Trump administration’s firings of heat experts at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and at the National Integrated Heat Health Information System will further undermine the government’s ability to address extreme heat nationwide as the summer heat season gets underway. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has scheduled a public hearing this month on the first-ever proposal for federal heat health standards for workers, though its fate could be in jeopardy following the firing of federal heat experts from NIOSH. The oil and gas industry is fighting these standards even as their workers are at heightened risk from heat.
Below is a statement by Dr. Juan Declet-Barreto, a bilingual senior social scientist for climate vulnerability at UCS.
“Heat is incredibly dangerous and deadly, but its risks often go under the radar given it is far less tangible than a raging wildfire, expansive hurricane or fast-moving tornado. Instead of investing in keeping people safe as temperatures spike, the Trump administration’s staff and budget cuts to NOAA have left local weather service offices serving millions of people in hundreds of U.S. counties without the experienced leadership of meteorologists in charge. And firing federal heat health experts will further jeopardize protections for people. The president’s proposed budget calls for more massive cuts to agencies like NOAA doing lifesaving work. And its regulatory rollbacks and cuts to climate and clean energy funding are aimed at increasing the use of fossil fuels, which are largely responsible for these rising temperatures. So, while the country suffers in what could be record-breaking temperatures, especially outdoor workers and vulnerable populations, fossil fuel executives will sit back in their air-conditioned offices watching President Trump do their bidding and grow their profits.”
UCS experts are available to speak about the following heat-related topics:
- Findings from the latest scientific reports, including those by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and the National Climate Assessment, related to heat in the United States.
- Ways extreme heat may collide with other climate impacts to compound people’s risks.
- How heat exacerbates existing racial, socioeconomic, and public health disparities, as well as the unique risks vulnerable populations and outdoor workers face.
- Risks posed by blackouts, electricity shutoffs, and the urban heat island effect during days of extreme heat or longer heat wave events.
- The role fossil fuel companies have played in exacerbating climate change events.
- OSHA heat health standards for workers; the Asunción Valdivia Heat Illness, Injury and Fatality Prevention Act; and other policy solutions that would keep people safe during extreme heat and rein in carbon emissions.
Dr. Declet-Barreto and other UCS experts available have experience doing live and taped TV, radio and print interviews with major national and international media outlets. Spanish-speaking experts are also available.
Additional UCS resources and analyses:
- UCS blogposts from this and previous Danger Seasons.
- UCS comments on OSHA’s advance notice of proposed rulemaking and its heat regulatory framework.
- A peer-reviewed study by UCS titled “Too Hot to Work: Assessing the Threats Climate Change Poses to Outdoor Workers. For the interactive mapping tool, click here.
- A peer-reviewed study by UCS titled “Killer Heat: Climate Choices and the Future of Dangerously Hot Days.” To get results for a specific city or county, use the online widget. For the interactive mapping tool, click here.
- A UCS report titled “Keeping Everyone’s Lights On: How to Build an Equitable, Climate-Resilient Power Grid.”
- A UCS report titled “U.S. Military on the Frontlines of Extreme Heat.”
- A UCS report titled “Farmworkers at Risk: The Growing Dangers of Pesticides and Heat.”
- A UCS report titled “Decades of Deceit: The Case Against Major Fossil Fuel Companies for Climate Fraud and Damages.”