Hey, have you been hearing the word heatwave more frequently each summer, whether it is on the news, social media, or used in social settings? Well, you are not the only one. Heatwaves are becoming increasingly common all over the world due to climate change, and they have an increasingly devastating effect on the planet. Heat waves are produced by high-pressure systems that trap warm air, making it hard for it to disperse. Heatwaves intensify when there is a lack of clouds, allowing more solar radiation to get through, allowing areas with high-pressure systems to get hotter as more heat is added without a way for it to escape. According to the NOAA data analysis from 1961 to 2023, heat wave lengths, severities, and durations have increased in US cities due to climate change and global warming. This is credited to the accumulation of greenhouse gases in the Earth's atmosphere, which traps more heat, which raises the planet's overall temperature, and increases the baseline from which heatwaves occur. Cities also feel the heatwave more severely due to the lack of vegetation in urban areas, and massive structures that trap heat are more prevalent in the urban environment.
The impact of heatwaves is not to be underestimated. These extreme weather events can lead to serious health problems and deaths, damage crops and infrastructure, increase wildfire risks, and strain power systems due to high energy demand. In an International Rescue Committee 2024 article on heatwaves, it states that worldwide heatwaves create a death toll of 500,000 each year. Heatwaves disproportionately affect low socioeconomic communities, which struggle to stay safe from intense heat, particularly older and sick populations. To keep cool from the heat, low-income communities usually can't afford the high electric bills needed to stay cool. Underserved communities are hit the hardest by climate change, facing greater risks from heat waves, poor air quality, and flooding because they have fewer resources to prepare for and recover from these extreme events (EPA, Climate Change and Social Vulnerability in the United States, 2021). For instance, in Bangladesh in April 2023, the country experienced a record high temperature, causing significant agricultural damage to numerous communities. The heat resulted in a substantial loss of agricultural production. The cause of food scarcity was their inability to prepare and fend off the overwhelming damage caused by the heat. Heat waves not only cause agricultural damage but also pose real health issues for people. A 2009 Environmental Health Perspectives article states that exposure to extreme heat over a long duration of time can lead to the risk of death through cardiovascular diseases, respiratory issues, and heart attacks. This is more likely for people who are old, and people who struggle with chronic illnesses are especially vulnerable because their bodies have a harder time regulating temperature.
Heatwaves are not just natural disasters; they are social and environmental crises that affect people, communities, and agriculture. To find real solutions, we must first recognize the voices that are often excluded from climate discussions. It's crucial to include the perspectives of low-income families, Indigenous communities, people with disabilities, and other vulnerable groups who face a lot of risks but have the least power in decision-making. This is not a problem that can be solved by a few; it requires collective action and inclusive decision-making. Each of us has a role to play in addressing this urgent issue. In an article from "Scorched by History: Discriminatory Past Shapes Heat Waves in Minority and Low-Income Neighborhoods" (Associated Press, July 2024): We see the results of racist policies like redlining affecting neighborhoods of color due to generations of neglect and unfair practices. Black residents in Mott Haven in the South Bronx or any predominantly POC neighborhood in New York feel the heatwaves more intensely than white neighborhoods, as they don't have access to resources and spaces that reduce heat, like greenery and trees that help keep areas cooler. Mott Haven can be 8 degrees hotter than the Upper West Side, which is full of white residents. That's why Black residents are twice as likely to die from heat strokes as their white counterparts. Although cooling centers and "cool kits" are now being distributed, residents are still often left out of decision-making and struggle to access these resources due to mobility issues, safety concerns, or a lack of information.
An easy one many people might think of is to give and make air conditioning more accessible to people but that is a grave mistake as the way AC work is by pumping hot air back into the environment while using a lot of electrical energy which are source from power planet that make the climate change worse and heat waves worse. An effective solution for heatwaves is to plant more greenery around the cities, as they are effective in decreasing the heat in an area. Also, create centers and areas where people in each community can come together to cool down, like sociable fountains and splash parks, as mentioned in a Guardian article by Hannah Martin. Additionally, the leading solution involves reducing greenhouse gas emissions through initiatives such as increased green energy efforts and urban greenery. This would allow for the heat to be less severe.