Extreme heat is getting worse. Can we learn to live with it? | The Excerpt

On a special episode (first released on June 16, 2024) of The Excerpt podcast: May 2024 marked the twelfth straight month of record-high temperatures for the planet. Here in the U.S., temperatures across the country are likely to break records again this summer, increasing health risks to those spending long periods outdoors – from construction workers to migrants illegally crossing the border. Government and business leaders have long struggled to cope with protecting people from the heat. Kathy Baughman McLeod, founder and CEO of Climate Resilience for All, a non-profit dedicated to protecting vulnerable communities from extreme heat, joins The Excerpt to explain how people should prepare for a hotter world.

Hit play on the player below to hear the podcast and follow along with the transcript beneath it. This transcript was automatically generated, and then edited for clarity in its current form. There may be some differences between the audio and the text.

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Dana Taylor:

Hello and welcome to The Excerpt. I'm Dana Taylor. Today is Sunday, June 16th, 2024. May 2024 marked the 12th straight month of record warm temperatures for the planet. Here in the US, temperatures across the country are likely to break records again this summer, increasing health risks to those spending long periods outdoors, from construction workers to migrants illegally crossing the border. Temperatures in the Pacific Northwest are also expected to be high, and for the many without air conditioning, that will be dangerous. Government and business leaders have long struggled to cope with protecting people from the heat. Is this our new normal? Our guest, Kathy Baughman McLeod is the founder and CEO of Climate Resilience for All, a non-profit dedicated to protecting vulnerable communities from extreme heat. Thanks for joining us Kathy.

Kathy Baughman McLeod:

Thank you for having me.

Dana Taylor:

Last summer broke records across the country with extreme temperatures. Are we expecting more of the same this summer?

Kathy Baughman McLeod:

Yes, we are. And one of the things that's most concerning is that the weather phenomenon of El Nino is lessening, is abating, and scientists are now in some uncharted territory, is to understand why is heat accelerating at the rate that it is when El Nino is going away? And so it is still expected, those high temperatures and high humidity and new phenomenon where we've learned about heat domes and we've seen atmospheric rivers. And so we're in new territory, but the temperatures and the conditions that the human body and our infrastructure and our society is facing is in uncharted waters.

Dana Taylor:

Kathy, which communities are most at risk here and how do we protect them?

Kathy Baughman McLeod:

Communities in cities and towns all over the world, all of these communities have particularly heat exposed and vulnerable parts of them. And pregnant women, senior citizens, underlying factors of poverty always drive more vulnerability to extreme heat, and the heat is landing differently. And in particular on women, women's bodies are different from men's bodies and we are more susceptible to extreme heat because of our organs and hormones and that sort of thing. And so particularly during pregnancy, this can be a high moment of vulnerability.

Dana Taylor:

People will continue to cross the border illegally in the summer months. What strategies are people using in places like Texas and Arizona to help migrants survive these extreme temperatures?

Kathy Baughman McLeod:

Well, there are some very basic things that everyone needs, and that is shade, water, and rest when we are out and exposed to extreme temperatures and conditions and an acknowledgement and understanding, and then a trained eye to recognize the signs of extreme heat on people as they become sick. And some of those symptoms are clammy skin and muscle cramps and dizziness, and those are the precursors to heat stroke. And so taking breaks through either standing in lines or trying to go walking or hiking from one place to the other, those are moments of exposure. And people administering to communities and migrant communities and employers who are employing workers who are extra vulnerable all need to have that training. And the science is increasingly robust and useful in Arizona in particular because they face heat at such a high rate and so ubiquitously that there are much higher levels of awareness and action now taking place. And the best way a community can prepare and be ready, whether that's responding to border migration or to things at work, is a heat action plan.

Dana Taylor:

So what kinds of things should be in that heat action plan?

Kathy Baughman McLeod:

The first part of a heat action plan is to get your arms around where the most vulnerable communities are within your community. So which neighborhoods and perhaps which types of employees are most exposed and most vulnerable. And then you look at which interventions are going to help them reduce the risks of heat. Is it an early warning system? Is it education? Is it changing the hours when they work? Or it could be planting trees. There are all sorts of nature-based solutions that cool communities. And then after you've identified the things that are going to work, you need to understand how much they're going to cost and you need to finance them, and then you need to measure how they're working. And all of this you want to do with community's input. And so a heat action plan is a blueprint for how you can address and reduce the risks of extreme heat and save lives.

Dana Taylor:

Well, the southwest has seen record heat. So of areas like the Pacific Northwest where AC isn't so widely available, how are cities trying to keep people safe there?

Kathy Baughman McLeod:

Well, the heat action plan is one tool. The federal government has an interagency task force, meaning 27+ agencies have come together to try to bring their capabilities to help local governments and communities plan for and invest in things that are making them heat ready. And lots of grants are now available. And those communities, the biggest thing that we all have to do is make people aware. Again, no one has to die from extreme heat. All of the deaths are preventable.

You need to know that it's happening, recognize the signs, know what to do, and then have the capability to do it. And so one of the biggest challenges for communities is to make sure that every part of the community, even those most vulnerable and those with the least resources have the capacity to protect themselves. And sometimes that's a neighbor knocking on the door. It's as simple as knowing the neighbor. And you may know this, but one of the biggest predictors of our survival during a disaster is it's not the radio or the water. It is if we know our neighbors. And that's a really important piece of communities surviving and thriving in extreme heat.

Dana Taylor:

Let's talk about cost, Kathy, loss of life, economic losses, and other tolls that rising temperatures take. What's the impact been particularly here in the US?

Kathy Baughman McLeod:

Well, in 2020, we conducted an analysis of the labor productivity losses to the US economy. And that first number in 2020 was $100 billion every year and growing and to $200 billion by 2030 and bigger if we don't have some interventions and some adaptation to these temperatures. And so that 100 billion, again, we said, heat doesn't land equally. 18% of that loss is disproportionately borne by black and Hispanic workers in the south. And so it's not just that the employers are losing money, it's also that the worker is losing money. So the heat is taking money out of the pockets and the wallets of workers across America, and particularly black and Hispanic workers across the south. And when you think about some of the things that cost us money, it's the way that heat hits the human body. If we don't sleep well at night and the temperatures are hot, nighttime temperatures are one of the biggest predictors of waking up and making mistakes at work, slowing down, hurting yourself with machinery, that sort of thing. And so that toll is captured in that $100 billion and everyone's paying for it.

Dana Taylor:

Are we just experiencing the tip of the iceberg now? What do you and other heat experts anticipate for the next five years, and what about 10, 15 years? Is there a future tipping point that concerns you?

Kathy Baughman McLeod:

Yeah, we're not on track to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions to stay at the goal of the Paris Accord, which is no more than a rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius post-industrial era for the world. And so we are right at that moment now, and we are not seeing the kind of emissions reductions we need. And so it only suggests hotter temperatures.

And so thinking about this as a norm or thinking about this as... I use the word ubiquitous to mean that our infrastructure melts, airplanes don't fly at higher than 120 degrees, our smartphones shut down at 95 degrees. So our infrastructure's built a certain way. Our schools are closing because it's too hot and kids aren't learning. And there are many, many solutions. So it can all feel quite dark and overwhelming, but investing in things that cool our cities is the number one priority that leaders across the US should be undertaking right now. And there are lots of tools for them to do that. But yes, the tipping point is when with or without air conditioning, the human body can't survive in its conditions and the organs and the human body can only evolve so quickly. I think that tipping point, we don't want to see that tipping point.

Dana Taylor:

You touched on this, but you focus on intersectionality in your work. How does gender, race, and socioeconomic status affect a person's climate risk?

Kathy Baughman McLeod:

Well, as we said, climate risks and heat don't land equally. And so there's so many drivers that make someone more vulnerable to climate's effects, including heat. And one of them is concrete filled black asphalt and buildings only with no green space and no trees. The difference can be as much as 14 degrees between one neighborhood that has trees and a neighborhood that doesn't. And so when you think about wealthy neighborhoods, they're often described as leafy. And the reason they're described as leafy is because they're nice and cool with all of this natural vegetation and canopy. And so one of the drivers of that is those historical practices and then also so many people who are living at or near the poverty line, when they don't work, they don't get paid. And so it means that when climate hits either in flooding or in extreme heat, people still have to go to work. And that means working outside in construction or in the service industry or in hot warehouses. And so that socioeconomic status is making somebody even more vulnerable to extreme heat.

Dana Taylor:

Kathy, what are the biggest roadblocks that you and other heat experts face to enact policies to protect people from heat related fatalities?

Kathy Baughman McLeod:

The biggest roadblock is that people do not understand the size and scope of extreme heat. And so often we read about elderly people sick or dying from extreme heat or pregnant women, but now it is healthy young people out to exercise or teenagers who are practicing on the athletic field. And so the barrier is that awareness and the awareness of the people, either those are employers or coaches or teachers have to understand how to recognize the signs of extreme heat on the people they are responsible for and work with. And we all have that obligation to understand it for each other, our families, our kids, and neighbors.

Dana Taylor:

What's your worst case scenario here, and what should leaders and everyday citizens consider to mitigate some of these risks?

Kathy Baughman McLeod:

Leaders need to be thinking about how their community is investing long-term in things that aren't going to be able to withstand the temperatures. So infrastructure that's being financed for 20 years, are the materials being used going to withstand these temperatures? Are the systems in your community, the way people walk to the bus stop, sit in the bus stop, get onto public transportation, are those systems thought through and how cool they are?

And then individuals, I would advocate for a personal heat risk plan. Are you personally vulnerable? Do you take medications that make you vulnerable? There are apps that you can download in some cities, and increasingly these are proliferating, something called Extrema is you put in your age and your medications you take and where you are. And when it gets too hot and you're at risk, it sends you a message and says, "You're at risk right now. You need to get to a cool space and here's a cool route for you to use." And so there are hacks like that. There are lots of tree plantings that communities can do. You can do that in your own neighborhood, in your own space, or through your community. So lots of solutions and adaptations available. But number one, we've got to wake up and get busy.

Dana Taylor:

I was just thinking that my smartwatch will tell me when I'm in a loud environment, so it should be an easy thing to add something to that that tells me when I am in extreme heat.

Kathy Baughman McLeod:

Exactly. Exactly.

Dana Taylor:

And then finally, what do you think the public most needs to know about the risk of heat to communities in general?

Kathy Baughman McLeod:

I think the public needs to know that we are in a new era of a threat to your everyday life and your work and your family that you can do something about. This is not, you're not powerless to do something about it, but there is a new threat level in your world that is extreme heat. And depending on where you are for longer times of the year than it has been, and do your personal heat risk assessment, understand where you and your family are in terms of how hot it is, spend a minute, think about your own vulnerabilities and exposure to heat and your families. And no one has to suffer from this if we are aware and we know what to do.

Dana Taylor:

Thank you so much for being on The Excerpt, Kathy.

Kathy Baughman McLeod:

Thank you.

Dana Taylor:

Thanks to our senior producer Shannon Rae Green for her production assistance. Our executive producer is Laura Beatty. Let us know what you think of this episode by sending a note to [email protected]. Thanks for listening. I'm Dana Taylor. Taylor Wilson will be back tomorrow morning with another episode of The Excerpt.