Resources and Research to Educate and Advocate for Change and Fight Against Heat
Climate change and the extreme heat it brings to our communities is a human-made problem. PSR’s Environment and Health Program has sounded the alarm for years about the fossil fuels that drive climate change, and we have helped the country change course toward a cleaner energy policy.
Thanks to our supporters, PSR created the resources below on the health hazards of extreme heat. Please use them to educate and advocate in your community for health and a livable climate.
From Concern to Action: Health Professionals Leading the Charge for Extreme Heat Protection
PSR co-sponsored this webinar featuring a panel discussion on OSHA’s latest proposal to protect workers from extreme heat.
Heat: Effects on the Elderly and Other Vulnerable Populations
Pamphlet on the health effects of heat by PSR Past President Alan Lockwood, MD, FAAN.
Heat, Fire, Water: How Climate Change Has Created a Public Health Emergency
Extreme heat, billowing wildfires, and water—either too much or not enough—are today’s faces of climate change. PSR Past President Alan Lockwood, MD, FAAN profiles the health effects of these frightening phenomena.
Improving the Built Environment to Reduce Indoor Heat-Related Illnesses and Deaths
Heat waves can produce dangerous indoor heat, especially for people who don’t have or can’t afford air conditioning. Heat pumps can help. From Greater Boston PSR.
Workers Memorial Week Heat Protection Letter
Letter signed by PSR and partner groups asking the Department of Labor to issue a heat stress standard to protect worker safety, citing climate change and rising temperatures.
Climate and Health: Heat
A fact sheet from PSR on the heat-related health effects of climate change.
Heat’s Deadly Effects
Climate change is likely to increase the frequency of “extreme heat events” or heat waves.
5 Things You Should Know about Climate Change
PSR summarizes the essential health impacts and policy solutions you need to know to fight climate change.
Climate Postcards: Climate Change Makes Me Sick!
Our climate health e-postcards highlight the many ways that climate change harms our health. View each e-card to find information, resources, and opportunities to take climate-protective action.
Extreme Heat: Solutions for Equitable Cooling
From PSR Colorado, this resource page features a webinar recording as well as related resources on protecting vulnerable populations from extreme heat.
By The Numbers
815
Or more
Workers killed by heat stress
Between 1992 and 2017, at least 815 workers died from heat stress. This is likely a vast underestimate, as heat-related deaths are underreported.
105°F
Body temperature
Sign of Heat Stroke
A body temperature of 105°F (40.5°C) or higher is a sign of heat stroke, a medical emergency. Children, the elderly, and those with pre-existing medical conditions are at elevated risk from extreme heat.
Latest Heat News & Actions
LIHEAP Cuts Put Americans in Peril Amidst a Summer of Relentless Heat
It’s been an extremely hot and humid summer for many in the U.S. Extreme heat is particularly challenging for those low-income families and rising energy costs mean that even those households that have air-conditioning often find they can’t afford to keep it running.
Introducing the Alliance for Heat Resilience and Health
The Alliance for Heat Resilience and Health (AHRH) is working to raise awareness of extreme heat events, how climate change is contributing to them, and how our governments at all levels can and should be protecting us.
Dangerous Extreme Heat Event Rattles Half of the Continental United States
A crushing early-season heat wave is currently impacting 174 million people in the United States, from the Great Plains to much of the East Coast. As human-caused climate change continues to get worse, these dangerous extreme heat events are becoming more frequent and more deadly.
Heat Illness and Extreme Weather Health Literacy: Communication Preferences and Effectiveness for Patients Living in Climate-Change-Vulnerable Communities
Study published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health co-authored by Todd L. Sack, PSR Board Member, on communicating climate change health impacts to patients.