Rising heat and wildfires pose increasing risks to the elderly

As extreme heat events and wildfires become more frequent and intense, America’s growing elderly population faces escalating health and safety threats.

Sharon Udasin reports for The Hill.

In short:

Older adults are especially vulnerable to heat-related injuries, which are increasing alongside global temperature rises.
Heat exacerbates existing health conditions in older adults, potentially causing thousands of additional deaths annually.
Community centers with air conditioning and regular check-ins by family or neighbors can help mitigate risks.

Key quote:

“It’s easy to say, ‘Oh, buy central air,’ but people are struggling financially everywhere, so it’s just not an easy fix.”

— Ian Neel, geriatrician and associate professor at UC San Diego School of Medicine

Why this matters:

Extreme heat and wildfires disproportionately endanger older adults, who are less able to cope with these conditions due to mobility issues and chronic health problems. Community support and awareness can significantly reduce heat-related health risks for the elderly.

thehill.com

Senator Whitehouse puts climate change on budget committee’s agenda

For more than a decade, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse gave daily warnings about the mounting threat of climate change. Now he has a powerful new perch.

Environmentalists are struggling, but their struggle isn’t unique to the Trump administration

It’s a difficult time to be an environmental advocate. On his first day as president, Trump reversed most of the Biden administration’s climate policies with a series of executive orders. Since then, the administration has frozen funding for clean energy projects and community climate grants, and put most of the U.S. The Environmental Protection Agency’s office of environmental justice staff on administrative leave, and rolled back key environmental protections.

Keep reading...Show less

Read the Full Article on

www.ehn.org

Rising heat and wildfires pose increasing risks to the elderly

Trump freezes federal funds for abandoned oil well cleanup, leaving states in limbo

Environmentalists are struggling, but their struggle isn’t unique to the Trump administration

Trump blocks funding for science agencies, risking AI and weather research

Earth is losing land water fast — and it’s changing sea levels and the planet’s spin

Global sea ice reaches record low as Earth's poles continue to warm

UK sees 4% drop in carbon emissions as gas and coal use declines

Young plaintiffs in Juliana v. United States lose Supreme Court bid but say they'll continue their pursuit of climate justice

An open letter from EPA staff to the American public

“We cannot stand by and allow this to happen. We need to hold this administration accountable.”

New evidence links heavy metal pollution with wildfire retardants

“The chemical black box” that blankets wildfire-impacted areas is increasingly under scrutiny.

Op-ed: Why funding for the environmental justice movement must be anti-racist

We must prioritize minority-serving institutions, BIPOC-led organizations and researchers to lead environmental justice efforts.

Biden finalizes long-awaited hydrogen tax credits ahead of Trump presidency

Responses to the new rules have been mixed, and environmental advocates worry that Trump could undermine them.

Op-ed: Toxic prisons teach us that environmental justice needs abolition

Prisons, jails and detention centers are placed in locations where environmental hazards such as toxic landfills, floods and extreme heat are the norm.

LISTEN: Reflections on the first five years of the Agents of Change program

The leadership team talks about what they’ve learned — and what lies ahead.