Heat-related deaths are on the rise in the US, according to a new analysis published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
The number of heat-related deaths recorded in the US jumped 117 percent between 1999 and 2023, it finds. These kinds of deaths are preventable, and had previously been on the decline. This study is likely the first to show an about-face in the US since 2016, the authors write.
Keeping people safe when temperatures spike is becoming more difficult in a warming world. Heatwaves are more frequent and more intense than they used to be. Authorities need to put appropriate safety measures in place to prevent more deaths in the future, the paper…