Study: Climate change may hike heat deaths

NEW YORK, Oct. 1 (UPI) -- U.S. scientists have determined global warming might cause a sharp increase in heat-related deaths by the 2050s, up by as much as 95 percent in some areas.

Researchers at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health noted annual average temperatures for the New York City region during the 2050s are projected to rise by as much as 6.5 degrees Fahrenheit, with summer temperatures increasing by as much as 7.6 degrees Fahrenheit.

The study, led by Associate Professor Patrick Kinney, indicates cities such as New York might be at particular risk from climate change because the “urban heat island effect” further increases regional temperatures.

The relatively large number of people living in poverty or in older residential neighborhoods in New York City often do not have air conditioning, increasing their vulnerability to heat stress -- especially for the growing number of people aged 65 years and older with cardiovascular or respiratory illnesses, added Assistant Professor Kim Knowlton, lead author of the study.

The research is to be published in the November issue of the American Journal of Public Health.