The new normal
A primer published in July 2024 on heat stress by Dr. Ashok Gadgil and Elif Kilic of the IECC (India Energy and Climate Center) at Berkeley’s Public Policy-The Goldman School stresses the need for more research for better assessment of heat stress basis to notify the public of imminent health risks during heatwaves. Dr. Gadgil won the National Medal of Technology and Innovation , the highest honor for technological achievement in the US last year.
Extreme temperatures have become the new normal, with 2023 being the hottest year in over a century and 2024 on track to surpass it. Prolonged periods of extreme heat and elevated humidity levels are serious public health risks including heat exhaustion, stroke, heart attack, chronic kidney disease, cognitive impairment, and death from internal overheating.
These effects are unequally distributed across world populations and regional vulnerabilities related to social, class, economic, and gender disparities. Extreme heat, especially when coupled with high humidity, is projected to displace 1-3.5 billion people worldwide by 2070.
Critical health risks
“The IECC 2024 Heat Stress Primer highlights the critical health risks posed by exposure to extreme heat, especially for outdoor workers in low-latitude regions like India. Exposure to higher temperatures and higher humidity levels impairs the body’s natural cooling processes, leading to heat-induced exhaustion, illness, and death. As 49% of India’s workforce is exposed to these hazardous conditions, IECC’s research stresses the urgent need for improved heat stress assessments and protective measures. Without swift action, hundreds of millions of workers, children, and older adults too, will face increasing exposure to life-threatening heat stress,” warn Primer authors Dr. Ashok Gadgil, Head of Research, Resilience to Climate Impacts at IECC and Elif Kilic.
Measuring Heat Stress
The two most widely used metrics for measuring heat stress are the wet bulb temperature and the heat index…