Heat is not an equal-opportunity killer

Your guide to the political forces shaping the energy transformation

Aug 15, 2022 View in browser   By Arianna Skibell Johnny Bouldin, 62, sits outside of his home in Houston during a heat wave this summer. | Brandon Bell/Getty Images It's no secret that wealthier and whiter communities are better equipped to navigate the climate crisis. They are more likely to receive federal wildfire and flood assistance, their air is less polluted and they are less likely to die from extreme heat. But a new groundbreaking analysis lays bare the extent of future warming's inequitable toll across the country. POLITICO's E&E News reporter Thomas Frank analyzed peer-reviewed climate projections by a nonprofit research group called First Street Foundation, breaking down by ZIP code where extreme heat will hit the hardest in future years. Across the country, largely nonwhite areas will experience a disproportionate number of dangerously hot days compared with whiter neighborhoods, Frank found. For example, parts of Homestead, Fla. — where 65 percent of residents are Hispanic and 22 percent are Black — will experience the nation's sharpest increase in extreme heat by 2053 with 45 more days over 100 degrees per year. In comparison, the largely affluent Fisher Island, which is up Florida's Atlantic coast and whose population is 79 percent white, will experience only 32 additional days of extreme heat by midcentury. The disparity has a lot to do with location: Nonwhite populations are concentrated in areas expected to see more extreme heat, namely hotter Southern states and big cities that lack cooling green spaces. Geography aside, heat is not an equal-opportunity killer. In addition to directly causing dehydration or heat stroke, it can also exacerbate underlying health problems. Research shows that people of color are more likely to suffer from such chronic conditions as diabetes or cardiovascular disease. Systemic lack of access to medical care or nutrition only compounds the problem. At least 1,300 people die a year in the U.S. due to extreme heat — the largest weather-related killer in the country — though research suggests those numbers are undercounted. The uneven impacts are not just felt in communities of color. Also disproportionately affected are the elderly, those addicted to opioids and people without consistent housing. To help address the issue, the Biden administration last year launched a federal office focused on climate change and health equity, but Congress has yet to fund it. Despite the lack of funding, the office is pushing the health industry to cut emissions while also developing new environmental justice strategies.   It's Monday — thank you for tuning in to POLITICO's Power Switch. I'm your host, Arianna Skibell.  Power Switch is brought to you by the journalists behind E&E News and POLITICO Energy. Send your tips, comments, questions to askibell@eenews.net. Today for POLITICO Energy's podcast: Hannah Brenton explains the European Union's plan to require large companies to disclose green information with the same strictness as they do for financial disclosures. Picture this A 1912 clipping from a New Zealand newspaper contained a short story about how burning coal might lead to atmospheric warming through carbon dioxide emissions. Clark Williams-Derry is an analyst with the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis, and the clipping was verified by the fact-checking website Snopes. Of course, the clipping is 110 years old, as Williams-Derry acknowledged in a subsequent tweet. Power Centers Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) signs budget reconciliation legislation. | Francis Chung/E&E News Climate momentum As Democrats celebrate the passage of a sweeping climate bill, some are looking for additional legislative routes to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, writes Nick Sobczyk. Annual spending bills and the National Defense Authorization Act could provide avenues to pump more money into clean energy programs. Read more here. Nuclear lifeline California Gov. Gavin Newson has officially proposed keeping the state's last nuclear power plant open up to 10 years beyond its planned 2025 closure date, writes Anne C. Mulkern. The move comes as extreme heat threatens to push power demand beyond available supplies of electricity, potentially forcing blackouts. Here's the story. Europe on fire The European Union is experiencing record wildfires this summer, with the devastation of nearly 2 million acres of land, an area more than twice the size of Luxembourg, writes Zia Weise. Successive heat waves — part of a warming trend driven by climate change — and persistent lack of rainfall have turned much of Europe into a tinderbox. Full story here. In Other News North Topsail, N.C. | Logan Mock-Bunting/Getty Image Three beds, two baths and climate safe? People in the United States are increasingly opting to purchase real estate in areas more immune to climate-fueled disasters like wildfires and extreme heat. Lost at sea : In an eerie twist, extreme weather and heat-induced drought are unearthing lost villages, ancient archaeological treasures and forgotten history. Question Corner The science, policy and politics driving the energy transition can feel miles away. But we're all affected on an individual and communal level — from hotter days and higher gas prices to home insurance rates and food supply. Want to know more? Send me your questions and I'll get you answers. Subscriber Zone A showcase of some of our best subscriber content. Offshore drilling platforms in the Gulf of Mexico. | Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement New research shows that offshore drilling may produce at least five times more greenhouse gas emissions than land operations. California is weighing the formation of a regional electric grid as utilities across the West push for more renewable resources. Top takeaways from POLITICO Pro's briefing on clean energy and tax provisions in the Inflation Reduction Act. That's it for today, folks! Thanks for reading.   Follow us on Twitter Arianna Skibell @ariannaskibell   Follow us

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