Health
-
A new study released this week by scientists from Columbia University shows that deaths from hurricanes are likely far higher than the official counts released by the National Hurricane Center, according to an article by Seth Borenstein at Associated Press. The scientists looked at excess deaths after the storms, a standard statistical technique that is…
-
As the temperature rises with this week’s heat wave, humans and animals both experience discomfort and potential harm from heat stress and other heat diseases. For livestock like cattle, the heat makes them less likely to want to eat, reducing weight gain and milk production. Prolonged periods of heat can reduce fertility in cows, further…
-
The incredibly high temperatures found in Texas over the last couple of weeks were caused by a strong high pressure center that trapped heat near the surface, leading to extreme impacts on energy production and human and animal health. Many people were hospitalized by the torrid conditions, and at least 9 people died from the…
-
The North Carolina State Climate Office posted a report on the recent occurrence of skies filled with smoke from the Canadian wildfires and the problems it caused for air quality in their region. You can read it at Rapid Reaction: Smoky Skies Create Unhealthy Air Quality – North Carolina State Climate Office (ncsu.edu).
-
The Urban Heat Island of cities is well-known and is attributed to the high percentage of pavement and lack of trees. However, a new study by experts at the Yale School examined the urban heat effect and how it is affected by humidity. The study determined that some efforts to reduce the heat, either through trees or vegetation,…
-
Farm Progress posted an interesting story this week about how increases in temperature and humidity in the Midwestern Corn Belt in recent years are increasing the levels of aflatoxin in corn. This has been a more common problem in the Southeast where we already have to deal with high temperature and humidity, but as temperatures…
-
Earlier this week, Scientific American published a story that highlights the Southeast’s outsized vulnerability to climate change, according to a new index created by the Environmental Defense Fund and Texas A&M University that analyzes climate impacts and neighborhood conditions such as poverty and health. It’s not necessarily that the climate changes are going to be…