Extreme Heat Events
The occurrence of natural calamities is always beyond the control of humankind. The efforts that the human race try are only limited to the avoidance of extreme impacts caused by natural calamities. To some extent, human activities have been on the blame for accelerating or decelerating the occurrence of some natural calamities. Some of the factors leading to extreme natural calamities can be controlled by humankind if relevant control measures are put in place. The vulnerability of humans has also been increasing with the increase in extreme occurrence of natural calamities. One such extreme event is the increase in heat intensity in various regions that has been causing severe impacts on living organisms. Extreme heating is associated with affecting not only human life but also wildlife and crops. The causes of extreme heating have been associated with irregular natural weather cycles although human-induced global warming has proved to be the primary cause. America has not been left behind by the impacts of extreme heating and several cities in the US have been forced into finding protective measures against extreme heating. Several measures have been taken in several cities in the region including Minnesota and the New York City. The impacts of extreme weather conditions have been felt in the 21st, and humans have been on the run in finding ways to protect the earth from the calamities associated with excessive heating.
The impacts of extreme heating go beyond the control of human beings. The efforts that have been in place have only been limited to controlling the factors that lead to excessive heat. Some of the efforts that have been in practice are the control of the emission of greenhouse gases that lead to global warming (Montz, Tobin & Hagelman, 2017). Also, providing education on the measures to take when extreme heating happens is a control measure by governments of regions that are affected. The actions that are taken by the different governments are only a way to reduce the impacts that could come with extreme weather conditions. The reason why human beings have been trying to fight against extreme is that extreme heating leads to severe impacts. Some of the impacts caused by extreme heating are diseases and conditions such as cancer, discomfort, and even deaths when the heat exceeds certain levels. An example of extreme heat events is the heat wave that recently swept through the state of Minnesota with temperatures going up above 42 degrees Celsius. Such high temperatures have been associated with a distraction in the regular ecosystem operation.
Extreme heat events have been on the increase across the world. Scientists have been attempting to explain the causes of such climatic variations although the patterns have been varying. The changing patterns in the climatic conditions have been causing difficulties to the scientists who have been tasked with interpreting the climatic changes to the humankind (Nelson et al. 2016). The leading cause of heating across the world has been said to be global warming. Human-induced global warming has been blamed explicitly for leading to excessive heating. Extreme heating happens since the ozone layer that acts as a ‘heat blanket’ has been destroyed by the emissions from human activities. However, scientists have also associated the change in natural patterns with extreme heat patterns. Such natural models associated with an increase in heat levels include the change in wind movements, change in humidity amounts in the atmosphere as well as droughts that increase the general heating of the earth service. The weight on the causes of excessive heating has however been put on the human factors.
The occurrence of extreme heating has been occurring in different forms. The basic form of extreme heat is the rising of temperature to levels that are harmful to organisms and infrastructure. A heat wave is defined as a situation where excessive heating proceeds for more than two days. The impacts of heat waves are always defined concerning the overall humidity concentration in the universe (Howe, Marlon, Wang, & Leiserowitz, 2019). The structure of the human skin is meant in such a way that it can successfully adapt to temperature increases by producing sweat that evaporates to cause a cooling effect thus cooling the body. However, a heat wave accompanied by high humidity amounts gives the human body difficulties fighting with it and could lead to serious health complications. Heat burns and heat strokes have been associated with the impacts of excessive heating. The impacts of extreme heating would therefore not be an issue of concern if the condition was not accompanied by humidity increase. The fact that climatic conditions are causing an increased amount of humidity concentration at a time when the temperatures are rising means that extreme heat is a cause for concern. Scientists are however concerned with the worrying predictions made from analyzing the data on extreme heat since the future could mean a greater cause of concern.
The heat patterns across the world have been showing considerable rise in the temperature levels. A significant rise in the average world temperature has been observed in the 21st century setting a record since scientists started keeping temperature records. The rise in temperature has specifically been felt in the US, with several measures being taken to bring the situation under control. America has been on the spotlight by several world agencies who have blamed the superpower for using her powers to engage in unfriendly environmental practices without being restricted. Some of the activities that America has been blamed for include the excessive emission of greenhouse gases. The economic stability of America has been seen as the reason why the superpower has been behaving irresponsibly since several powers are compelled into submitting to America owing to the benefits obtained for supporting America. However, the impact of extreme climatic conditions has not left the US behind. Several efforts have been tried to mitigate the severity of the impacts brought about by the wave of temperature increase. The New York City and Minnesota have particularly been severely affected by the heat wave and have been forced into cooperating in developing control measures against the severe impacts of extreme heating.
Heat waves have proved to be beyond the prevention of human beings, and thus the attention should be focused on avoiding the negative impacts of the menace. Several attempts have been tried to give a hope of surviving the menace that has proved to be unavoidable. Heat waves in the New York City have for example been an issue of serious concern, and the government has been keen on ensuring that the residents are safe in the city (Matte, Lane & Ito, 2016). Several science departments have been predicting a worse development on the issue of heat waves since the climate is sure to keep changing and the human race has to stay on toes to avoid being beaten unawares by the wave. The New City has been involved in adaptation techniques rather than direct prevention of heating events. The adaptation strategy involves conducting an intensive public awareness across the different areas of the city to train the residents on the control measures to take in the event of heat events. The impacts of heat waves have been reported to have caused more deaths to Americans compared to other natural calamities. Such statistics imply that almost every American is at risk of being affected in one way or the other by heat waves. The frequencies with which heat waves are occurring necessitate the development of a quick solution even as long term solutions are being sought. One of the short term solutions that have been proposed and applied in the New York City is the use of a heat toolkit, where individuals are first trained on using the proper protective gear when conditions get out of hand. A panel on climate change has been formed in New York to oversee the adaptation of the residents to the new measures. Also, the panel has been tasked with ensuring that medical services are readily available in the events that residents are unable to adapt to the changing heat patterns and extreme impacts become visible. Minnesota has not been left behind by the move to protect the residents from the impacts of extreme heat.
Minnesota has witnessed extreme heat events in the recent past. The entire state has been on the receiving end of the extreme weather patterns that the US has been receiving in the recent past. Extreme heat waves have been frequent in the Minnesota state, and predictions have been made by scientists that the events are to go on for a long time. The government of Minnesota has been trying to sensitize the residents on the possible impacts that could accompany the extreme weather conditions (Horton et al. 2016). Specifically, the government has been keen on training the residents on the methods to avoid and protect individuals from illnesses related to extreme heat events. An attempt has been made to impose the use of a protective heat toolkit to mitigate the impact of extreme heat. In Minnesota, deaths related to extreme heat illnesses have been reported, and the statistics are alarming. The state of Minnesota has not been excluded from the rest of America and heat waves have been termed as the most recent catastrophe hitting America. The extreme heat toolkit has been designed to help the government and medical officers to receive information in situations that require emergence response to ensure that the effects of extreme heat do not go above controllable levels. The move has been created to ensure that the public is kept cool and at the right hydration levels when the temperatures go beyond manageable levels. The heat wave is not a purely human-induced disaster, and thus its management has proved to be a difficult test to humanity.
Figure 1 Heat waves affect the working conditions in the cities
Heat waves have been in various cases caused by natural factors. Humankind is only able to manage extreme heat patterns caused by artificial factors. For example, human-induced global warming can be dealt with by imposing international laws to control the emission of greenhouse gases. The laws could limit the number of greenhouse gases that a particular country is allowed to emit from its production firms in a given period (Porter, & Singleton, 2017). However, natural causes cannot be controlled, and the only thing that humankind can do is to find ways of adapting to the changes in the weather patterns. Some natural factors that have been associated with extreme heat include the La Nina that has been associated with sweeping hot storms from the desert regions to the other parts of the world. Natural causes of extreme heating leave humankind with no option but to adapt to the changing weather patterns and leave the rest to nature. The story of extreme heat events, however, does not end with causing illnesses. The change in climatic patterns has been associated with severe climate change that has made human life hard. For example, the occurrence of prolonged droughts and more torrential rains have been affecting the ordinary lives of humankind.
In sum, the impact of extreme heat has been more felt in the 21st century. The heating trend has shown significantly increasing temperatures over the past few years, and the world has to worry about the future and the measures that will work best in protecting the lives of humankind and other organisms. The extreme heat menace has not left America and attempts have been made to adapt to the impacts of extreme heat events. Generally, extreme heat events are the most recent catastrophe affecting the world, and the factors behind the menace are both artificial and natural.
References
Horton, R. M., Mankin, J. S., Lesk, C., Coffel, E., & Raymond, C. (2016). A review of recent advances in research on extreme heat events. Current Climate Change Reports, 2(4), 242-259.
Howe, P. D., Marlon, J. R., Wang, X., & Leiserowitz, A. (2019). Risk perceptions of extreme heat events at the state, county, and census tract level in the US.
Matte, T. D., Lane, K., & Ito, K. (2016). Excess mortality attributable to extreme heat in New York City, 1997-2013. Health security, 14(2), 64-70.
Montz, B. E., Tobin, G. A., & Hagelman, R. R. (2017). Natural hazards: explanation and integration. Guilford Publications.
Nelson, M. C., Ingram, S. E., Dugmore, A. J., Streeter, R., Peeples, M. A., McGovern, T. H., … & Spielmann, K. A. (2016). Climate challenges, vulnerabilities, and food security. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 113(2), 298-303.
Porter, K., & Singleton, J. (2017). Turning the heat up on admissions: The impact of extreme heat events on hospital admissions. Prehospital and Disaster Medicine, 32(S1), S35-S36.