{"id":238,"date":"2025-06-22T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-06-22T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/bbc-sciencefocus\/?p=238"},"modified":"2025-06-20T17:37:53","modified_gmt":"2025-06-20T17:37:53","slug":"new-york-is-in-the-firing-line-how-a-deadly-new-form-of-heatwave-could-make-earths-cities-unliveable","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/flatplanplus.io\/bbc-sciencefocus\/2025\/06\/22\/new-york-is-in-the-firing-line-how-a-deadly-new-form-of-heatwave-could-make-earths-cities-unliveable\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018New York is in the firing line\u2019: How a deadly new form of heatwave could make Earth’s cities unliveable"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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ENVIRONMENT<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018New York is in the firing line\u2019: How a deadly new form of heatwave could make Earth’s cities unliveable<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

The most lethal force of climate change isn\u2019t a storm. It\u2019s heat<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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By TOM HOWARTH<\/p>\n\n\n\n

22 June, 2025<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Photo credit: Getty<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

In June 2021, an extraordinary heatwave swept across the Pacific Northwest. It shattered temperature records, pushed thermometers above 49\u00b0C (120\u00b0F), and turned cities like Portland and Vancouver into literal danger zones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At least 868 people died<\/a>, many in homes without air conditioning, in a part of the world long considered too temperate to fear extreme heat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But this event wasn\u2019t a one-off. As the world continues to warm as a consequence of human activity, deadly heat events are expected to become more frequent, more intense and more widespread \u2013 even hitting cities and regions that have never considered themselves vulnerable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf we see 4\u00baC (7.2\u00baF) of warming, New York would even be in the firing line,\u201d Dr Tom Matthews<\/a>, a senior lecturer in environmental geography at King\u2019s College London, tells BBC Science Focus<\/em>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In parts of the world, he warns, \u201ceven if you\u2019re healthy, well hydrated and in the shade with a fan, your core temperature will rise and you can\u2019t stop it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Land surface temperatures on 25 June 2021 in Washington, US. Photo credit: Joshua Stevens\/NASA Earth Observatory<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Why extreme heat is so dangerous<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When you conjure up images of climate change in your mind, you might picture storms lashing the Gulf Coast or flash flooding tearing down mountainsides. In fact, extreme heat killed more people in the US in 2024<\/a> than hurricanes<\/a>, flooding and cold weather combined. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s amazing, really,\u201d Matthews explains. \u201cMost of the time, our bodies can regulate temperature automatically through sweating or blood flow to the skin. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou can do that in pretty much any environment on Earth as long as you\u2019re in the shade. But that won\u2019t be the case in the future.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Normally, our bodies release excess heat into the environment. But as heat and humidity rise, that process becomes harder. Eventually, the direction heat travels in flips.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHeatwaves will at some point fundamentally change when, for long periods of the day, the atmosphere will be a heat source,\u201d Matthews says. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At this point, the human body becomes \u2018heat stressed\u2019, resulting in a plethora of heat-related ailments that disproportionately affect those with pre-existing health conditions, the elderly and the poorest in society. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The heart and kidneys are particularly impacted, according to the World Health Organisation<\/a>, with deaths and hospitalisations often occurring rapidly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Indirect impacts can include an increased risk of accidents and respiratory issues arising from hazardous air pollution events. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But while any above-normal temperature will lead to some deaths in vulnerable populations, at a certain threshold of temperature and humidity, conditions become essentially unsurvivable, even in the shade. This doesn\u2019t just affect the elderly or the ill. It affects everyone. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cExactly what that point is is a huge point of ongoing research,\u201d Matthews says. \u201cThere are huge variations across the population because of their health, their age and so on. The real-world significance of any of these thresholds is unknown because the temperatures in people\u2019s homes are unknown, as is the level of activity and other factors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere\u2019s lots of uncertainty, but we know that this lurks somewhere in the relatively near future.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Read More:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n