Climate change to spur extreme weather, pollution in southeastern US
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* Julia Haskins

As climate change takes a toll on communities throughout the U.S, the southeastern region of the country could be particularly hard in coming years, a recent study finds.

Climate change may result in more extreme heat, ozone pollution and the potential for the spread of tropical diseases, in the southeastern U.S., according to a study published online May 19 in *PLoS One*.

Researchers collected data from weather stations and global climate models to look at extreme-heat days from 1979 to 2015. Based on analyses from the 37-year period, researchers projected that apparent temperatures — or the temperatures perceived by humans — will rise significantly by mid-century, with particularly severe impacts in the Southeast. According to the projections, most of the Southeast will experience apparent temperatures similar to those in present-day Florida, which has a tropical climate.

Such events pose not only a threat to the environment, but to humans as well, with a greater risk of increased heat-related morbidity and mortality in the region. According to the study, thousands of people are hospitalized annually for heat-related illnesses, with older people being especially susceptible to such illnesses. Another consequence of high summer temperatures is the increased risk of tropical disease-transmission by the Aedes aegypti mosquito.

“People generally don’t notice climate change due to the high amount of variability in weather conditions from year to year, (but) what people do notice are the extremes,” Jeremy Diem, PhD, MA, associate professor of geography in the Georgia State College of Arts and Sciences, told The Nation’s Health. “The most negative impacts of climate change in the Southeast are more frequent and intense heat waves, more intense rainfall events and increased sea level.”

Urban heat islands, or urban areas that are hotter than surrounding areas as a result of human activity, are especially vulnerable to the effects of climate change in the Southeast. However, adaptations to the built environment can help mitigate some harmful impacts, Diem said.

“Reducing the effects of urban heat islands is a local measure that can help reduce warming from climate change at a larger scale,” he said. Efforts can be accomplished through relatively simple efforts such as installing green roofs.

Cities can also take steps on a smaller scale to protect residents from heat-related illnesses at little cost.

“One easy solution is to provide public access to community cool spaces, such as air-conditioned school gymnasiums, to people most vulnerable to heat,” Diem said.

The study serves as a warning not only to residents of southeastern states, but to people throughout the U.S., Diem said.

“Climate change in general will cause a poleward shift in climates,” he said. “Within the United States, that means the current climate of the states just south of you will become the climate of your state by the end of the century or sooner.”

For more information, visit [http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0177937](http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0177937).

*   Copyright The Nation’s Health, American Public Health Association