A third of the U.S. prepares for a heat wave as Western Europe struggles with the worst temperatures ever recorded.
With global warming, disastrous heat waves are occurring more frequently and are killing people, destroying infrastructure, and taxing energy sources.
A growing amount of studies demonstrates that excessive heat has long-term repercussions on local economies as well as population health.
Here are some of the consequences of these temperature shocks, which are becoming more frequent and severe due to climate change.
Infrastructure in flames
Heat waves can have severe impacts on man-built structures that are not made to resist extreme heat, even in temperate nations like the United Kingdom.
Less than 5% of homes in the generally cool country have air conditioning, as heat retention rather than heat rejection is frequently a priority for builders.
Record-breaking heat at Luton, England, a city 30 miles north of London, melted an airport runway and grounded planes for several hours.
Roads in the Pacific Northwest, another region with a generally moderate climate, cracked last year due to the intense heat, and a public pool had to close due to poor air quality.
In Portland, the extreme heat melted electricity cables, forcing the city to halt rail operations.
High temperatures in other areas have caused railroad steel tracks to buckle, delaying down freight and passenger trains.
worn-out health systems
Human bodies are severely damaged by heat, which exponentially raises the chance of mortality from heatstroke or other causes.
According to Brian Stone, a professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology, the 2003 heat wave in Europe resulted in 70,000 fatalities, establishing a sobering record for the deadliest climate-related disaster in an industrialized nation.
According to Kristie Ebi, professor at the Center for Health and the Global Environment at the University of Washington, 1,000 people died who otherwise would not have during the Pacific Northwest heat dome last year, and the number of people seeking medical attention for heat-related illnesses increased by a factor of 69.
She asked, “How do you cost years of life lost?” For the relatives of the deceased, this question is immeasurable.
Actuaries and government organizations estimate the value of an American life at around $10 million, thus even before accounting for effects on health, job output, and food systems, the economic cost of a heat wave would be in the billions.
Ebi warned that the effects on hospitals may put further strain on already overburdened infrastructures.
One Seattle hospital almost ran out of ice trying to help patients with heatstroke.
Another was unable to cool down its operating room well enough to do surgery safely, so it was forced to shut it down for many days.
Diminution of output
Even if people avoid the greatest side effects on their health, the heat still has an impact on their productivity.
According to a recent study, states’ GDP fell by 0.25 percent for every 1 degree Fahrenheit over average summer temperatures, reducing the economic output of the states.
People don’t work as hard when it’s terribly hot, according to Ebi. She did note that the effects varied for various worker classes.
“People with salaries will move more slowly.
People who are paid by the piece have an economic incentive to labor more, and they might work past the point of self-harm, according to the expert.
For outdoor workers like agricultural laborers, delivery drivers, or construction workers, this poses a special problem.
Studies reveal that kids perform worse in class on hot days and that fetuses exposed to extreme heat in gestation earn less as adults, proving that heat can have a negative impact on a worker’s future earnings.
Decreased agricultural output
Like human bodies, crops do best in a relatively small range of temperatures.
While a slight rise in temperature can encourage some plants to grow more, heat above 90 degrees Fahrenheit causes yields of crops like corn, soybeans, and cotton to drop precipitously.
One recent study calculated the impacts of a 2 degree Celsius global temperature increase, which the globe is predicted to reach in the ensuing decades.
According to a research by University of Arizona professor Derek Lemoine, the Eastern United States’ agricultural profitability declines by 60% at that level of warming.
When combined with dryness, which frequently follows high temperatures, that becomes twice as problematic.
The European Commission warned that the current drought warning, which affects nearly half of Europe, might cause crop shortages.
Shipping and industry issues
The heat wave this week coincides with unusually low water levels in Europe’s rivers, which are crucial for shipping.
According to Cedric Gemehl of Gavekal Research, water levels in the Rhine, a significant route connecting industrial areas in Switzerland, Germany, and Denmark, are at their lowest level since at least 1970. According to Gemehl, this results in “much reduced freight flow, bottlenecks, and higher delivery charges.
“He pointed out that a less severe fall in 2018 caused the production of drugs and chemicals to fall by 15% in the second half of that year.
Less water in the river means less hydroelectric power, which is already operating at significantly lower levels than usual in France, Italy, and Spain, according to Gemehl.
Similarly, industrial output and Europe’s nuclear power facilities, both of which primarily rely on river water for cooling, are both affected.
While each of these problems could be dealt with on its own and improve this year’s prospects, they are being added to ongoing supply problems and an impending energy catastrophe.
The repercussions of the heat wave are having the worst possible timing on the European economy, aggravating supply constraints and making the energy balance even more risky, according to Gemehl.
“Europe’s current heat wave is anything but sunny in economic terms.”