A recent study by the National Environmental
Trust, an organization that
educates the public about health-related
environmental issues, reported that by
mid-century, Richmond will have 83 heat
related-deaths per year if no efforts are
made to reduce greenhouse gas levels.
“Richmond will be the second hottest
city by mid-century,” NET representative
Zack Denton said at a press conference
in Monroe Park on Thursday.
According to NET, the increase affects
the young and elderly, leading to high
mortality rates among these groups.
Although deaths are a result of age
extremes, “it’s an economic issue here
too,” Denton said. The people who die
of heat-related illnesses are often on fi xed
income and are forced to choose between
air conditioning and other amenities.
“Right here in the city, we have a lot of
low-income elders,” said Kimberly Taylor,
professor of gerontology at VCU.
The problem is compounded by the
fact that many elders are on medications
that slow their heart rate, inhibiting their
ability to sweat, Taylor said.
“Oftentimes heat stroke doesn’t
happen on the fi rst day (of extreme
temperatures),” Taylor said.
The effects of the heat intensify with
every day that temperatures exceed 100
degrees.
Richmond currently has seven such
days per summer, and according to the
study, this number will increase to 20
by the middle of the century.
“There is a great deal at risk for this
city,” said NET Richmond representative
Ruth Morrison.
Morrison said recent policies, such
as Gov. Timothy M. Kaine’s new energy
plan and the Sierra Club’s guidelines
for smart energy use, were steps in the
right direction.
Mayor L. Douglas Wilder, along with
47 other mayors, have signed the U.S.
Mayor’s Climate Protection Agreement,
which pledges to reduce carbon dioxide
pollution in their cities by 7 percent by
2012.
Third District City Councilman
Chris Hilbert said he was ready to work
together with Wilder.
“I pledge my support and my cooperation
to make sure to meet these goals
… We can do better,” Hilbert said, “and
we will do better.
—
Global warming study:
Number of heat-related deaths in Richmond
per year in 2007: 21
Number of heat-related deaths predicted to occur in Richmond by mid-century: 83
Number of days in Richmond with temperatures above 100 degrees in 2007: 7
Number of days predicted to occur in Richmond with temperatures above 100 degrees by mid-century: 20
Who is at risk?
—elderly
—residents who work outdoors
—young children
—low-income residents
—residents with illnesses
Source: “An Analysis of Potential Heat-Related Mortality Increases in U.S. Cities Under a Business-as-Usual Climate Change Scenario,”
by Laurence S. Kalkstein and J. Scott Greene