How climate change is worsening extreme heat – Great Lakes Now

Report on Extreme Heat Events and the Sustainable Development Goals

Introduction: Climate Change and Extreme Heat

Analysis of recent meteorological trends indicates a direct and strengthening correlation between anthropogenic climate change and the increased frequency and intensity of extreme heat events. The combustion of fossil fuels has accelerated global warming at an unprecedented rate, fundamentally altering climatic conditions. This report examines the impacts of extreme heat through the lens of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), highlighting the interconnected challenges to global development targets.

Impact Analysis in Relation to Key SDGs

SDG 13: Climate Action

The intensification of heat waves is a primary manifestation of the global failure to adequately address climate change, making it a central issue for SDG 13 (Climate Action). The scientific evidence is unequivocal:

• The planet has warmed approximately 2 degrees Fahrenheit above pre-industrial levels.
• Human-induced greenhouse gas emissions are the principal cause. A 2020 heat wave in Siberia, for instance, was determined to be 600 times more likely due to these emissions.
• Urgent adaptation and mitigation measures are required to build resilience against this escalating climate-related hazard.

SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

Extreme heat poses a severe and growing threat to public health, directly challenging the objectives of SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being). The health consequences are multifaceted and disproportionately affect vulnerable populations.

• Direct Health Impacts: Extreme heat can overwhelm the body’s ability to regulate temperature, leading to acute stress on the cardiovascular and renal systems, a range of heat-related illnesses, and increased mortality. Data from the U.S. shows a 439% increase in heat-related deaths between 2004 and 2021.
• Vulnerable Populations: The elderly, outdoor laborers, individuals experiencing homelessness, and those with pre-existing medical conditions face the highest risk.
• Systemic Stress: Rising nighttime temperatures prevent natural cooling, exacerbating health risks for the more than 35 million people in the U.S. without access to air conditioning.

SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities

The impacts of extreme heat are not distributed equally, thereby exacerbating existing disparities and hindering progress on SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities).

• Urban Heat Islands: Neighborhoods with extensive concrete surfaces and a lack of green space can experience temperatures 15-20 degrees higher than surrounding areas. These are often low-income communities and communities of color.
• Economic Barriers: The cost of running air conditioning can be prohibitive for low-income households, forcing a choice between thermal safety and other necessities.
• Policy Gaps: While 40 U.S. states have moratoriums on utility disconnections during extreme cold, only 21 offer similar protections for extreme heat, leaving vulnerable populations unprotected.

SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

The increasing prevalence of extreme heat necessitates a fundamental rethinking of urban planning and infrastructure to align with SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities). Cities must become more resilient to this new climatic reality.

1. Invest in Adaptive Infrastructure: This includes strengthening electrical grids to handle peak loads during heat waves and expanding green infrastructure like parks and tree canopies.
2. Establish Public Support Systems: Essential services include robust early warning systems, a network of public cooling centers, and transportation to these facilities.
3. Promote Equitable Housing Solutions: Interventions such as subsidizing air conditioning installations in low-income housing are critical for community resilience.

Policy and Governance Recommendations for SDG Alignment

Strengthening Institutional Frameworks and Public Awareness

Current governance frameworks are often inadequate for the scale of the heat crisis. Strategic policy changes are necessary to protect citizens and advance climate adaptation goals.

• Formal Disaster Classification: Federal agencies, such as the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), do not currently classify extreme heat as a natural disaster. A formal declaration is being advocated by health and environmental groups to unlock federal funding for local relief and adaptation efforts, a key step for SDG 13.
• Enhanced Warning Systems: Adopting systems to name and rank heat waves, similar to hurricanes, could significantly improve public awareness and trigger timely public health interventions. A pilot program in Seville, Spain, demonstrates the viability of this approach.
• Protecting Labor: Ensuring safe working conditions for outdoor workers is a critical issue of occupational health and aligns with SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth).
• Energy Justice: Ensuring access to affordable and reliable cooling is a matter of energy security and equity, directly supporting SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy).

Identified Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

• SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being – The article extensively discusses the health problems, mortality, and physical stress caused by extreme heat.
• SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy – The text touches upon energy affordability (cost of air conditioning), access to cooling, and the need for a resilient electrical grid.
• SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities – The article highlights how extreme heat disproportionately affects vulnerable populations, including the elderly, low-income households, outdoor workers, and unhoused people.
• SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities – The focus on urban heat islands, the need for cooling centers, green spaces, and resilient urban infrastructure directly relates to this goal.
• SDG 13: Climate Action – The article’s central theme is that human-caused climate change is worsening extreme heat, and it discusses the need for adaptation, policy changes, and awareness.

Specific SDG Targets Identified

1. SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

   • Target 3.d: Strengthen the capacity of all countries… for early warning, risk reduction and management of national and global health risks.
     
     Explanation: The article supports this target by advocating for “better warning systems and outreach” and public health interventions like the “pilot program in Seville, Spain,” which triggered “specific alerts and public health interventions like cooling centers and wellness checks” to manage the health risks of heat waves.

2. SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy

   • Target 7.1: By 2030, ensure universal access to affordable, reliable and modern energy services.
     
     Explanation: The article points to affordability issues, noting that vulnerable residents “may be afraid to run their AC all day due to the costs.” It also mentions the need for “subsidizing air conditioning installations in low-income housing” to ensure access.

3. SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities

   • Target 10.3: Ensure equal opportunity and reduce inequalities of outcome, including by… promoting appropriate legislation, policies and action.
     
     Explanation: The article highlights policy inequality by stating that while 40 states have disconnection moratoriums for cold, “only 21 have similar laws for extreme heat,” which fails to protect vulnerable residents equally from different weather extremes.

4. SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

   • Target 11.5: By 2030, significantly reduce the number of deaths and the number of people affected… caused by disasters… with a focus on protecting the poor and people in vulnerable situations.
     
     Explanation: The article directly addresses this by stating that “heat waves have killed more people than hurricanes, floods, or tornadoes” and that deaths from heat exposure are rising, with particular risk for “the elderly… unhoused people.”
   • Target 11.7: By 2030, provide universal access to safe, inclusive and accessible, green and public spaces.
     
     Explanation: This is supported by the discussion of “urban heat islands,” where a “lack of trees and shade” leads to temperatures “15 to 20 degrees higher than neighborhoods with parks and green spaces,” showing the need for accessible green spaces to mitigate heat.
   • Target 11.b: By 2030, substantially increase the number of cities… adopting and implementing integrated policies and plans towards… adaptation to climate change, resilience to disasters.
     
     Explanation: The article calls for cities to adopt integrated policies such as “strengthening the electrical grid,” maintaining a “network of public cooling centers,” and implementing comprehensive warning systems like the one in Seville.

5. SDG 13: Climate Action

   • Target 13.1: Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters in all countries.
     
     Explanation: The entire article is a discussion of this target, as it details the need to adapt to and build resilience against extreme heat, which it identifies as a worsening climate-related hazard.
   • Target 13.2: Integrate climate change measures into national policies, strategies and planning.
     
     Explanation: The call for FEMA to “classify extreme heat as a natural disaster” so that “federal funding to support local relief efforts” becomes available is a direct example of integrating climate adaptation into national disaster policy.
   • Target 13.3: Improve education, awareness-raising and human and institutional capacity on climate change… adaptation, impact reduction and early warning.
     
     Explanation: This target is reflected in the suggestion that “heat waves should be named and ranked on a simple scale, like hurricanes are, to increase public awareness about the risks of extreme heat.”

Implied and Mentioned Indicators

1. Mortality Rate Attributed to Disasters

   • Indicator: The article states, “Between 2004 and 2021, the number of Americans who officially died from heat exposure rose by 439 percent.”
     
     Explanation: This is a direct indicator (related to official indicator 11.5.1) for measuring progress on reducing deaths from disasters.

2. Access to Affordable and Reliable Energy

   • Indicator: The article mentions that “over 35 million people in the U.S.” do not have access to air conditioning.
     
     Explanation: This figure serves as an indicator of the population’s access to essential cooling technology, which is a component of modern energy services in the context of extreme heat (related to Target 7.1).

3. Adoption of Protective Policies

   • Indicator: The number of states with disconnection moratoriums for extreme heat (“only 21”).
     
     Explanation: This quantifiable metric can be used to track the adoption of legislation that protects vulnerable populations, as discussed under Target 10.3.

4. Impact of Urban Green Space

   • Indicator: The temperature differential between areas with and without green space (“15 to 20 degrees higher”).
     
     Explanation: This data point serves as an indicator of the effectiveness of green spaces (Target 11.7) in mitigating urban heat island effects.

5. Adoption of National Disaster Risk Reduction Strategies

   • Indicator: FEMA’s classification of natural disasters.
     
     Explanation: Whether or not FEMA classifies extreme heat as a natural disaster is a clear, binary indicator of the integration of this climate hazard into national disaster policy (related to Target 13.2).

Summary of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: greatlakesnow.org