The Growing Risks of Heat Waves in the Midwest
Forthcoming report highlights trends in extreme heat, their implications for public health, and how major cities are preparing for a warming world
On July 25, the Union of Concerned Scientists will release a new report, Heat in the Heartland: 60 Years of Warming the Midwest, which studies weather data from 10 Midwestern cities, including Detroit, Chicago, Minneapolis, St. Louis, and Cincinnati.
The report identifies trends in heat waves over the past 60 years, discusses the health implications of these trends, and looks at what cities are doing to prepare their populations to cope with a warming world.
Visit this site again on July 25 to read this ground-breaking report, the third in our Climate Change and Your Health report series.
Are you a public health expert of medical professional? You can help protect public health from the impacts of climate change.
Support the Clean Air Act
UCS is convening an open letter to policy makers in support of the Clean Air Act and the EPA. Signed by physicians, registered and advanced-practice nurses, and professionals with advanced degrees in public health, the letter stresses that the EPA is charged with protecting our public health and our environment and that the Clean Air Act is an extraordinarily successful and cost-effective way of doing so.
Read the statement and view the list of current signers. If you are a public health expert, click here to add your name.
Join Our Expert Network
For more than 40 years, UCS has organized and amplified expert voices for sound, science-based policy solutions. To be successful in our efforts to reduce global warming emissions, we need the active participation of health and medical experts like you.
The UCS Science Network includes more than 35,000 scientists, economists, engineers, and health professionals who help support effective policy actions through a range of outreach efforts, including contacting legislators, writing op-eds, and giving media interviews. Join the UCS Science Network today!
Summer 2012: The Heat Is On
This summer in the Midwest has already been a scorcher, with record-breaking temperatures in many cities.
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Three cities in Michigan hit their hottest temperatures ever recorded. Chicago's three consecutive 100°+ days tied an all-time record.
- St. Louis suffered 10 consecutive days of triple-digit temperatures in late June and early July, while Cincinnati set a new all-time high of 104° for July 6.
- You could fry an egg on the sidewalk in Minneapolis on July 4, when the temperature reached 100°, and someone did.
