Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Feds, Local Governments Start To Prep For Growing Extreme Heat Threats
President Joe Biden on Wednesday will announce executive action to confront climate change, including plans to steer federal dollars to heat-ravaged communities, though he鈥檚 holding off for now on an emergency decree that would allow him to marshal sweeping powers against global warming.聽(Dlouhy, Natter and Wingrove, 7/19)
The relentless heat in some parts of the nation and abroad are in line with what scientists have said humans can expect in a warming world: more intense and frequent weather extremes. Searing heat is one of the most common, and deadly, manifestations of those changes. Given that reality, a growing number of cities now employ a 鈥渃hief heat officer鈥 to focus on the risks posed by sweltering temperatures 鈥 and to seek opportunities for how to adapt. Miami, Phoenix and Athens are among the prominent places to hire for such a role. (Dennis and Montalbano, 7/19)
As New Yorkers brace for a week of extremely hot weather, cooling centers in air-conditioned buildings throughout the city will be open to the public from Tuesday through Thursday to offer relief from the heat. The scorching days ahead will not be limited to the New York region. Other cities in the Northeast, like Washington, Philadelphia and Boston, may see similar temperatures this week and will also offer residents places to cool down. (Meko and Grull贸n Paz, 7/19)
On how extreme heat kills 鈥
The highs in some areas of Europe and the U.S. could pass the physical limits of what the human body can handle, according to Kim Knowlton, an assistant clinical professor of environmental health sciences at Columbia University. (Bendix, 7/19)
Meanwhile, the UK's record heat is a sign of what's to come, warns the UN 鈥
Climate change-driven heat events that pushed UK temperatures to record highs Tuesday will become more frequent and intense for decades to come, the head of the UN鈥檚 World Meteorological Organization said.聽鈥淭he negative trending climate will persist until at least 2060,鈥 Petteri Taalas, Secretary-General, of the WMO said at a briefing in Geneva. (Hoffman, 7/19)
While the heat鈥檚 effects cascaded from Greece to Scotland, the greatest damage was in fire-ravaged France. More than 2,000 firefighters battled blazes that have burned nearly 80 square miles of parched forest in the Gironde area of the country鈥檚 southwest, forcing more than 37,000 people to evacuate in the past week. (Landler, 7/19)
