1 00:00:01,080 --> 00:00:04,640 Speaker 1: Welcome to zero. I am Aksha Darati this week how 2 00:00:04,680 --> 00:00:19,280 Speaker 1: to beat the heat. In twenty twenty two, the UK 3 00:00:19,400 --> 00:00:22,079 Speaker 1: had a heat wave like no other. This was the 4 00:00:22,160 --> 00:00:25,120 Speaker 1: kind of heat wave that shuts down airports and forces 5 00:00:25,360 --> 00:00:29,880 Speaker 1: railways to stop. Heat like this is rare in the UK, 6 00:00:30,200 --> 00:00:33,919 Speaker 1: and Bloomberg reporter Olivia Rudgard was here in London covering it. 7 00:00:35,040 --> 00:00:37,479 Speaker 2: I remember cycling home. I stayed really late in the 8 00:00:37,479 --> 00:00:41,040 Speaker 2: office and I cycled home probably about half past eight 9 00:00:41,120 --> 00:00:42,800 Speaker 2: or nine o'clock at night. You know, it felt like 10 00:00:42,840 --> 00:00:44,839 Speaker 2: a sort of middle of the day on a typical 11 00:00:45,159 --> 00:00:48,800 Speaker 2: hot English summer's day, and I remember thinking, wow, this 12 00:00:48,880 --> 00:00:51,720 Speaker 2: is something that's really new. 13 00:00:53,240 --> 00:00:56,120 Speaker 1: I grew up in India and I'm used to the heat, 14 00:00:56,320 --> 00:00:58,960 Speaker 1: but here in England, hot sunny days like this one 15 00:00:59,360 --> 00:01:02,720 Speaker 1: tend to be quite unusual. So while the dangers were real, 16 00:01:03,280 --> 00:01:05,640 Speaker 1: the idea that an English summer day could be life 17 00:01:05,720 --> 00:01:09,800 Speaker 1: threatening that was just hard to fathom for so many people. 18 00:01:10,120 --> 00:01:14,680 Speaker 2: For obvious reasons. The cultural association of heat is holidays 19 00:01:14,760 --> 00:01:17,920 Speaker 2: and ice cream and going to the beach and yeah, 20 00:01:17,959 --> 00:01:20,560 Speaker 2: wearing little shorts. And there is something nice about leaving 21 00:01:20,560 --> 00:01:21,920 Speaker 2: the house in the morning and thinking, oh, I know, 22 00:01:21,959 --> 00:01:22,200 Speaker 2: I'm not. 23 00:01:22,200 --> 00:01:23,080 Speaker 1: Going to need a jacket. 24 00:01:23,440 --> 00:01:26,760 Speaker 2: There are very few English days that are like that, 25 00:01:26,959 --> 00:01:29,000 Speaker 2: and I think that is one of the big challenges 26 00:01:29,560 --> 00:01:33,040 Speaker 2: for the authorities, like when they're trying to say, okay, well, 27 00:01:33,040 --> 00:01:35,600 Speaker 2: we're not trying to be a total kill joy here. However, 28 00:01:36,080 --> 00:01:38,600 Speaker 2: this is not a twenty five degree sunny day. You know. 29 00:01:38,680 --> 00:01:42,280 Speaker 2: Forty degree heat is something that possibly people have never 30 00:01:42,360 --> 00:01:45,360 Speaker 2: experienced before. And if you're in that all day and 31 00:01:45,400 --> 00:01:48,800 Speaker 2: you have no respite, and especially if you have certain vulnerabilities, 32 00:01:48,840 --> 00:01:52,920 Speaker 2: if you're older, if you have certain medical conditions, it's genuinely. 33 00:01:52,400 --> 00:01:59,400 Speaker 1: Really dangerous, really dangerous, and sadly increasingly common. Heat waves 34 00:01:59,440 --> 00:02:03,560 Speaker 1: are considered silent killers. Unlike other disasters, they don't leave 35 00:02:03,600 --> 00:02:07,800 Speaker 1: behind destroyed buildings, and yet they do kill thousands of people. 36 00:02:08,800 --> 00:02:11,760 Speaker 1: It might be the kind of disaster that's most misunderstood 37 00:02:12,360 --> 00:02:16,560 Speaker 1: and the world is least prepared for. As heat waves 38 00:02:16,639 --> 00:02:20,080 Speaker 1: hit more places in more extreme ways, it's time we 39 00:02:20,200 --> 00:02:24,040 Speaker 1: grappled with them with the seriousness they deserve. That's why 40 00:02:24,080 --> 00:02:28,000 Speaker 1: this week is Heat Weak at Bloombergrain. Across the site, 41 00:02:28,120 --> 00:02:30,720 Speaker 1: we have a series of stories about the surprising impact 42 00:02:31,000 --> 00:02:34,560 Speaker 1: of extreme heat and some of the creative ways people 43 00:02:34,639 --> 00:02:37,720 Speaker 1: around the world are dealing with it. But before that, 44 00:02:37,840 --> 00:02:42,040 Speaker 1: Olivia tells me about a surprising strategy that meteorologists are 45 00:02:42,160 --> 00:02:45,720 Speaker 1: considering to make us all pay more attention to super 46 00:02:45,760 --> 00:03:05,440 Speaker 1: hot weather, giving heat waves a name Olivia. So far 47 00:03:05,760 --> 00:03:08,200 Speaker 1: this year in the UK, we've not had much of 48 00:03:08,240 --> 00:03:11,160 Speaker 1: a summer. There have been a couple of featwave warnings, 49 00:03:11,160 --> 00:03:14,760 Speaker 1: but nothing like the summer of twenty twenty two, where 50 00:03:14,800 --> 00:03:18,359 Speaker 1: I remember walking out from this air conditioned office to 51 00:03:18,600 --> 00:03:22,200 Speaker 1: what felt like being in Delhi. There was this hot 52 00:03:22,360 --> 00:03:28,440 Speaker 1: air that hit you and that was not something Brits 53 00:03:28,480 --> 00:03:31,600 Speaker 1: were used to and it had some devastating impacts. 54 00:03:31,639 --> 00:03:35,760 Speaker 2: Right Yeah, I mean it was really an an unprecedented event, 55 00:03:35,920 --> 00:03:37,520 Speaker 2: which feels like a word we use a lot in 56 00:03:37,520 --> 00:03:41,360 Speaker 2: climate reporting nowadays, but I think it was really one 57 00:03:41,440 --> 00:03:45,680 Speaker 2: of the first times that the authorities, the met Office, 58 00:03:45,920 --> 00:03:48,360 Speaker 2: the health care system has had to cope with an 59 00:03:48,400 --> 00:03:51,800 Speaker 2: event like that, and I think it was a real challenge. 60 00:03:52,040 --> 00:03:56,880 Speaker 2: We're used in the UK too, gray overcast weather. Generally 61 00:03:57,120 --> 00:04:01,000 Speaker 2: the average July temperature is like twenty degree and so 62 00:04:02,000 --> 00:04:06,280 Speaker 2: there was a real difficulty in communicating to people, Hey, 63 00:04:06,320 --> 00:04:09,800 Speaker 2: this isn't beach weather or park weather or going get 64 00:04:09,800 --> 00:04:12,680 Speaker 2: an ice cream weather, especially if you're in a group 65 00:04:12,720 --> 00:04:14,760 Speaker 2: that might be vulnerable, if you're older, if you have 66 00:04:14,840 --> 00:04:20,000 Speaker 2: certain pre existing health conditions. This is genuinely very dangerous. 67 00:04:19,640 --> 00:04:23,160 Speaker 1: And the number of debts on that particular day in 68 00:04:23,200 --> 00:04:25,320 Speaker 1: twenty twenty two was astonishing. 69 00:04:25,400 --> 00:04:27,919 Speaker 2: Right, there were several heat events that summer, so that 70 00:04:27,960 --> 00:04:30,520 Speaker 2: wasn't the only heat event that summer. I believe it 71 00:04:30,560 --> 00:04:33,400 Speaker 2: was roughly three thousand deaths that summer that were linked 72 00:04:33,680 --> 00:04:36,279 Speaker 2: to heat. Because when you go to hospital with the 73 00:04:36,320 --> 00:04:39,560 Speaker 2: heat related condition, it doesn't go on your death certificate 74 00:04:39,720 --> 00:04:42,160 Speaker 2: that you died because of a heat wave. It's something else, 75 00:04:42,240 --> 00:04:45,080 Speaker 2: you know, a cardiovascular event or something like that. They 76 00:04:45,120 --> 00:04:47,640 Speaker 2: look at the sort of expected death for that period 77 00:04:47,680 --> 00:04:51,240 Speaker 2: without something like that happening, and then it's called excess deaths. 78 00:04:51,360 --> 00:04:53,880 Speaker 2: That's I think the best available way of working out 79 00:04:54,000 --> 00:04:56,120 Speaker 2: what the mortality is in situations like that. 80 00:04:56,640 --> 00:04:58,839 Speaker 1: And last year was the hottest year on record, and 81 00:04:58,920 --> 00:05:02,040 Speaker 1: this year is likely to be the hottest year, beating 82 00:05:02,120 --> 00:05:05,520 Speaker 1: last year's record. The UK might have been spared, but 83 00:05:05,720 --> 00:05:08,400 Speaker 1: there have been so many heat waves around the world. 84 00:05:08,680 --> 00:05:12,279 Speaker 1: There was a pretty terrible one in Mecca during the 85 00:05:12,360 --> 00:05:15,599 Speaker 1: Hudje there was a really bad one in India that 86 00:05:15,920 --> 00:05:19,520 Speaker 1: led to many deaths, and especially in India, counting of 87 00:05:19,640 --> 00:05:22,600 Speaker 1: debts and heat is not done well enough, and so 88 00:05:22,920 --> 00:05:26,320 Speaker 1: it could have been thousands, but we don't know. One 89 00:05:26,320 --> 00:05:28,640 Speaker 1: of the stories you're working on is trying to figure 90 00:05:28,640 --> 00:05:34,480 Speaker 1: out whether heat waves should be named like we name hurricanes, 91 00:05:34,560 --> 00:05:38,440 Speaker 1: and whether that can help reduce the impact heat waves have. 92 00:05:39,800 --> 00:05:41,840 Speaker 2: Yeah, I think this is a debate that's been going 93 00:05:41,920 --> 00:05:44,560 Speaker 2: on in the sort of meteorological community for quite a 94 00:05:44,600 --> 00:05:48,240 Speaker 2: few years, and I think, you know, the people who 95 00:05:48,279 --> 00:05:50,200 Speaker 2: are sort of pushing this idea have really picked up 96 00:05:50,200 --> 00:05:53,479 Speaker 2: on a big problem for heat communication, which is that 97 00:05:54,080 --> 00:05:57,200 Speaker 2: even in places where you don't have the cultural issues 98 00:05:57,200 --> 00:05:59,960 Speaker 2: that you have in the UK, it's difficult to communicate 99 00:06:00,240 --> 00:06:05,000 Speaker 2: I think clearly the risks and potential implications of overheating. 100 00:06:05,120 --> 00:06:07,840 Speaker 2: It's not like a hurricane or a typhoon or an 101 00:06:07,839 --> 00:06:11,120 Speaker 2: earthquake where you can see buildings falling over, and it's 102 00:06:11,160 --> 00:06:14,520 Speaker 2: not something you can visibly see. So I think that 103 00:06:14,560 --> 00:06:19,120 Speaker 2: the idea is to communicate a sense of the emergency 104 00:06:19,160 --> 00:06:22,080 Speaker 2: and the immediacy of the risks, and also to kind of, 105 00:06:22,360 --> 00:06:25,440 Speaker 2: I suppose, make it into something that people are likely 106 00:06:25,480 --> 00:06:27,080 Speaker 2: to sort of like to stick in their brain, so 107 00:06:27,200 --> 00:06:28,320 Speaker 2: something that's more tangible. 108 00:06:28,560 --> 00:06:31,360 Speaker 1: But this is no longer just an academic debate because 109 00:06:31,440 --> 00:06:34,080 Speaker 1: there are places that have tried to do this correct. 110 00:06:34,279 --> 00:06:37,760 Speaker 2: There's been one peer reviewed study that's come out now 111 00:06:38,040 --> 00:06:41,760 Speaker 2: which was about the city of Seville in Spain which 112 00:06:42,000 --> 00:06:44,320 Speaker 2: named a few heatwaves in twenty twenty two. And the 113 00:06:44,320 --> 00:06:47,719 Speaker 2: study is about heat wave Zoe, and they kind of 114 00:06:47,720 --> 00:06:49,839 Speaker 2: found that, yes, among the people who were aware of 115 00:06:49,880 --> 00:06:52,320 Speaker 2: this name, there was a sort of heightened understanding of 116 00:06:52,360 --> 00:06:54,360 Speaker 2: what they should be doing in a heightened level of trust, 117 00:06:54,960 --> 00:06:57,680 Speaker 2: and a few other people that are looking at doing it. 118 00:06:56,920 --> 00:07:00,400 Speaker 2: There was a heatwave last year that was jointly named 119 00:07:00,400 --> 00:07:06,480 Speaker 2: by three meteorological organizations in the sort of south of Europe. Greece, Israel, 120 00:07:06,839 --> 00:07:10,080 Speaker 2: and Cyprus all co named heat wave and they called 121 00:07:10,120 --> 00:07:12,640 Speaker 2: it Cleon. It was a small percentage of people that 122 00:07:12,800 --> 00:07:17,240 Speaker 2: remembered it, but among those people, the level of understanding 123 00:07:17,600 --> 00:07:20,840 Speaker 2: of what to do and the level of trust in 124 00:07:20,880 --> 00:07:22,760 Speaker 2: the authorities was higher. But yeah, it was only six 125 00:07:22,800 --> 00:07:26,160 Speaker 2: percent of people who unprompted remembered it. 126 00:07:26,360 --> 00:07:29,440 Speaker 1: But it's not like just because a hurricane has been 127 00:07:29,560 --> 00:07:33,960 Speaker 1: named that people prepare to deal with the hurricane in 128 00:07:34,160 --> 00:07:38,280 Speaker 1: say the Caribbean or in Florida. They just do because 129 00:07:38,360 --> 00:07:40,680 Speaker 1: they know they get hurricanes and they know what to 130 00:07:40,760 --> 00:07:42,360 Speaker 1: do when a hurricane hits. 131 00:07:42,680 --> 00:07:45,240 Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean, this is the central tension of the argument, right, 132 00:07:45,320 --> 00:07:47,240 Speaker 2: Like a lot of the people I've talked to, you say, 133 00:07:47,840 --> 00:07:49,400 Speaker 2: there are a whole bunch of other things we could 134 00:07:49,440 --> 00:07:53,680 Speaker 2: be doing to help people prepare better, make them better equipped. 135 00:07:53,880 --> 00:07:55,880 Speaker 2: Awareness cannot be the viewell and end all. 136 00:08:01,440 --> 00:08:05,400 Speaker 1: So moving beyond awareness, the question of what we as 137 00:08:05,400 --> 00:08:09,120 Speaker 1: individuals and as a society need to do when super 138 00:08:09,160 --> 00:08:13,680 Speaker 1: hot weather descends. That's exactly what Howard emergency medicine physician 139 00:08:14,000 --> 00:08:18,880 Speaker 1: Renee Salas has been working on. Renee tells me what 140 00:08:18,960 --> 00:08:21,880 Speaker 1: extreme heat does to the body and how the entire 141 00:08:21,960 --> 00:08:27,440 Speaker 1: healthcare system needs to adjust to our new reality. Renee, 142 00:08:27,480 --> 00:08:28,240 Speaker 1: welcome to the show. 143 00:08:29,400 --> 00:08:31,120 Speaker 3: Thank you so much for having me. I'm honored to 144 00:08:31,120 --> 00:08:31,480 Speaker 3: be here. 145 00:08:32,559 --> 00:08:35,839 Speaker 1: You were based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, which saw a heat 146 00:08:35,920 --> 00:08:40,240 Speaker 1: emergency earlier this summer. It was because of a weather 147 00:08:40,280 --> 00:08:43,920 Speaker 1: phenomena called a heat dome, and there was a spike 148 00:08:44,200 --> 00:08:47,520 Speaker 1: in heat related emergency department visits and the city of 149 00:08:47,559 --> 00:08:50,920 Speaker 1: Boston open more than a dozen cooling centers. How did 150 00:08:50,960 --> 00:08:53,920 Speaker 1: you personally experience the heat wave, both as a doctor 151 00:08:53,960 --> 00:08:55,200 Speaker 1: and as a resident. 152 00:08:56,280 --> 00:08:59,000 Speaker 3: Yeah, well, it brought climate change right into my face. 153 00:08:59,040 --> 00:09:00,839 Speaker 3: And trust me, this is something that I think about 154 00:09:00,840 --> 00:09:04,160 Speaker 3: all the time, but it's a different experience when you're 155 00:09:04,360 --> 00:09:09,199 Speaker 3: living it and you're seeing your patients and communities experiencing it. 156 00:09:09,679 --> 00:09:12,040 Speaker 3: I mean, I actually had issues with my air conditioning 157 00:09:12,280 --> 00:09:17,000 Speaker 3: during that and that made me really understand heat stress, 158 00:09:17,640 --> 00:09:19,200 Speaker 3: as I'm sure we're going to dive into. I mean, 159 00:09:19,240 --> 00:09:22,559 Speaker 3: heat can impact so many things, but it impacts sleep, 160 00:09:22,840 --> 00:09:27,480 Speaker 3: and it also impacts how we process situations. We could 161 00:09:27,480 --> 00:09:31,560 Speaker 3: become a little bit more irritable and that can obviously 162 00:09:31,640 --> 00:09:33,959 Speaker 3: lead to other things. It reminded me of the need 163 00:09:33,960 --> 00:09:39,319 Speaker 3: for backup power when air conditioning and backup air conditioning solutions. 164 00:09:39,320 --> 00:09:42,840 Speaker 3: But I think more importantly, it really showed how we 165 00:09:42,960 --> 00:09:45,959 Speaker 3: have to develop solutions for patients that I had come 166 00:09:45,960 --> 00:09:49,160 Speaker 3: into my emergency department and that colleagues were telling me 167 00:09:49,200 --> 00:09:53,400 Speaker 3: about where they just didn't appreciate what the threats of 168 00:09:53,440 --> 00:09:56,800 Speaker 3: heat are like. And so I think there's this interesting 169 00:09:56,800 --> 00:10:01,040 Speaker 3: phenomenon with heat that it becomes also more humid, and 170 00:10:01,080 --> 00:10:04,480 Speaker 3: climate change is increasing humidity, and that is a really 171 00:10:04,559 --> 00:10:07,760 Speaker 3: dangerous combination because our body uses sweating with which to 172 00:10:07,800 --> 00:10:09,760 Speaker 3: cool us off. But if the more human it becomes, 173 00:10:09,760 --> 00:10:11,800 Speaker 3: the harder it is for us to sweat. So my 174 00:10:11,840 --> 00:10:14,559 Speaker 3: colleague had a story of someone who was out running 175 00:10:14,679 --> 00:10:19,600 Speaker 3: and could normally head run in conditions that were that 176 00:10:19,880 --> 00:10:22,680 Speaker 3: hot as an absolute number, but it's that heat index 177 00:10:22,800 --> 00:10:26,239 Speaker 3: or taking that humidity into account, and he started experiencing 178 00:10:26,280 --> 00:10:28,760 Speaker 3: symptoms of what's called heat exhaustion, which is sort of 179 00:10:28,760 --> 00:10:31,640 Speaker 3: that body's warning signs right before a heat stroke, which 180 00:10:31,720 --> 00:10:34,520 Speaker 3: is a life threatening emergency. And so it was just 181 00:10:34,559 --> 00:10:37,280 Speaker 3: a reminder of how we are in it, and we 182 00:10:37,320 --> 00:10:40,640 Speaker 3: have an enormous opportunity to move forward in a way 183 00:10:40,720 --> 00:10:42,240 Speaker 3: that protects and centers health. 184 00:10:42,640 --> 00:10:45,200 Speaker 1: And you're now one of the leading experts on this 185 00:10:45,320 --> 00:10:49,760 Speaker 1: field that studies both climate change and health, a field 186 00:10:49,760 --> 00:10:53,800 Speaker 1: that probably hadn't been fully established until about the past 187 00:10:53,920 --> 00:10:58,120 Speaker 1: ten years or twenty years. How much of a growing 188 00:10:58,200 --> 00:11:02,240 Speaker 1: concern is heat related health issues when it comes to 189 00:11:02,240 --> 00:11:03,040 Speaker 1: climate issues. 190 00:11:03,440 --> 00:11:06,040 Speaker 3: Well, it's interesting you bring up. I think my sense 191 00:11:06,080 --> 00:11:08,000 Speaker 3: of where things were twenty years ago is that there 192 00:11:08,040 --> 00:11:12,480 Speaker 3: were trailblazers who clearly saw those impacts, but When I 193 00:11:12,520 --> 00:11:15,320 Speaker 3: came to this field about over a decade ago, there 194 00:11:15,720 --> 00:11:19,440 Speaker 3: was really little engagement for mainstream medical community. But since 195 00:11:19,480 --> 00:11:21,360 Speaker 3: then there's really been a ground shift. I mean, whether 196 00:11:21,400 --> 00:11:25,160 Speaker 3: it's the World Health Organization announcing climate change was one 197 00:11:25,200 --> 00:11:28,120 Speaker 3: of its six strategic objectives, or the National CANABI of 198 00:11:28,160 --> 00:11:31,400 Speaker 3: Medicine in the US having its largest program on climate change. 199 00:11:31,480 --> 00:11:34,480 Speaker 3: But we still lack the essential ingredients, like research funding 200 00:11:34,600 --> 00:11:36,560 Speaker 3: at the scale and scope that's required, at least here 201 00:11:36,600 --> 00:11:39,320 Speaker 3: in the US. You know, you point to heat, and 202 00:11:39,400 --> 00:11:42,840 Speaker 3: I think that heat is often termed a silent killer. 203 00:11:43,040 --> 00:11:45,520 Speaker 3: I think it's underappreciated for how deadly it can be. 204 00:11:46,240 --> 00:11:48,600 Speaker 3: But there was a landmark study that showed that one 205 00:11:48,760 --> 00:11:51,480 Speaker 3: third if heat related deaths in forty three countries which 206 00:11:51,480 --> 00:11:54,559 Speaker 3: included the US in the nineteen nineties and two thousands 207 00:11:54,559 --> 00:11:57,959 Speaker 3: were attributable to climate change, and the lands A countdown 208 00:11:57,960 --> 00:12:00,439 Speaker 3: report which I'm a part of last year and twenty 209 00:12:00,480 --> 00:12:03,280 Speaker 3: three showed that he tests for those over the age 210 00:12:03,280 --> 00:12:05,839 Speaker 3: of sixty five are projected to increase by three hundred 211 00:12:05,880 --> 00:12:09,040 Speaker 3: and seventy percent by mid century, and as we approach 212 00:12:09,080 --> 00:12:11,559 Speaker 3: twenty twenty five, mid century is not that far away. 213 00:12:12,040 --> 00:12:14,719 Speaker 3: On a two degree celsius pathway. So I mean all 214 00:12:14,760 --> 00:12:17,400 Speaker 3: of the shows is that heat is really at the forefront, 215 00:12:17,440 --> 00:12:19,600 Speaker 3: but that's just the tip of the iceberg in regards 216 00:12:19,640 --> 00:12:22,240 Speaker 3: to the harms that are occurring. And so we have 217 00:12:22,240 --> 00:12:27,080 Speaker 3: an enormous opportunity here to really quickly leverage resources to 218 00:12:27,160 --> 00:12:28,880 Speaker 3: address us at the scale scope required. 219 00:12:29,240 --> 00:12:32,520 Speaker 1: All of us at some point have been hot, and 220 00:12:32,600 --> 00:12:36,280 Speaker 1: so we kind of know that heat can be stifling, 221 00:12:36,440 --> 00:12:40,320 Speaker 1: it can sometimes cause exhaustion. But if you are to 222 00:12:40,400 --> 00:12:45,840 Speaker 1: go a little more systematically, what are the categories of 223 00:12:46,000 --> 00:12:49,240 Speaker 1: medical issues that arise because of heat? 224 00:12:49,679 --> 00:12:51,959 Speaker 3: Yeah, so I think you know. Before diving into the 225 00:12:52,000 --> 00:12:54,480 Speaker 3: specific categories, I just want to take a quick second 226 00:12:54,520 --> 00:12:56,920 Speaker 3: to set a frame of what happens to the body 227 00:12:56,920 --> 00:13:00,760 Speaker 3: with heat. Simplastically, your body wants to protect the organs 228 00:13:00,760 --> 00:13:03,600 Speaker 3: inside like the brain and the heart, and it does 229 00:13:03,640 --> 00:13:07,800 Speaker 3: that by moving heat from inside to the outside as 230 00:13:07,840 --> 00:13:09,360 Speaker 3: a way to then get rid of it. And it 231 00:13:09,360 --> 00:13:11,520 Speaker 3: does that actually through our skin and sort of two 232 00:13:11,600 --> 00:13:15,360 Speaker 3: key ways. So first it puts more blood near the skin. Second, 233 00:13:15,360 --> 00:13:18,640 Speaker 3: it produces sweat, and then once that sweat is on 234 00:13:18,720 --> 00:13:21,280 Speaker 3: our skin, the heat can be transferred to it, and 235 00:13:21,280 --> 00:13:23,840 Speaker 3: then those drops of water are evaporated and take the 236 00:13:23,880 --> 00:13:26,520 Speaker 3: heat away, and so sweating is really our friend there. 237 00:13:27,320 --> 00:13:29,240 Speaker 3: And so again I just really want to stress that 238 00:13:29,320 --> 00:13:31,920 Speaker 3: humidity is such a key aspect when we think about 239 00:13:31,960 --> 00:13:35,640 Speaker 3: heat and think about how the heat stress is causing 240 00:13:35,800 --> 00:13:39,000 Speaker 3: these multitude of harms that you noted. So the other 241 00:13:39,080 --> 00:13:41,720 Speaker 3: big thing to think about with heat that is important 242 00:13:41,720 --> 00:13:43,640 Speaker 3: as we think about health harms is it can also 243 00:13:43,679 --> 00:13:48,400 Speaker 3: be associated with poor air quality, and so heat actually 244 00:13:48,400 --> 00:13:52,320 Speaker 3: can create more ground level ozone. So in addition to 245 00:13:52,400 --> 00:13:55,480 Speaker 3: high humidity, poor air quality is another thing that often 246 00:13:55,520 --> 00:13:58,719 Speaker 3: comes with extreme heat, and that can also contribute to 247 00:13:58,760 --> 00:14:01,320 Speaker 3: the multitude of health harms. So I mean, as you noted, 248 00:14:01,360 --> 00:14:05,600 Speaker 3: there's heat exhaustion and then the life threatening heat stroke 249 00:14:05,640 --> 00:14:08,280 Speaker 3: which people commonly think about with heat. And there's also 250 00:14:08,360 --> 00:14:12,760 Speaker 3: more minor kind of heat related conditions like rash or cramps, swelling, 251 00:14:13,360 --> 00:14:16,520 Speaker 3: passing out. But these are only a minor fraction of 252 00:14:16,520 --> 00:14:19,240 Speaker 3: the health harms from heat. You know, extreme heat's been 253 00:14:19,240 --> 00:14:24,400 Speaker 3: associated with worsening heart problems, lung disease, kidney issues, poor 254 00:14:24,480 --> 00:14:29,200 Speaker 3: birth outcomes, wors in mental health, violence and aggression, actually 255 00:14:29,240 --> 00:14:33,280 Speaker 3: worse cognition, harder to think, and poor sleep. That's just 256 00:14:33,360 --> 00:14:36,240 Speaker 3: again sort of that broad overview, but it just shows 257 00:14:36,280 --> 00:14:39,240 Speaker 3: that as heat impacts our entire body, it can impact 258 00:14:39,400 --> 00:14:40,840 Speaker 3: every aspect of it as well. 259 00:14:41,120 --> 00:14:45,200 Speaker 1: You talked about sort of second order impacts here, heat 260 00:14:45,480 --> 00:14:48,920 Speaker 1: leading to more violence and heat leading to mental health effects. 261 00:14:49,160 --> 00:14:51,680 Speaker 1: How exactly does that play out. 262 00:14:52,200 --> 00:14:54,440 Speaker 3: Yeah, it's a great question, and I think this is 263 00:14:54,480 --> 00:14:59,560 Speaker 3: where we see these different associations from an epidemiologic standpoint, 264 00:14:59,640 --> 00:15:01,120 Speaker 3: and then we have to dive in and try to 265 00:15:01,200 --> 00:15:05,720 Speaker 3: understand what those mechanisms are. So with mental health, for example, 266 00:15:06,000 --> 00:15:09,360 Speaker 3: it's been associated with more anxiety or more symptoms of 267 00:15:09,480 --> 00:15:12,800 Speaker 3: depression in people who have depression or bipolar and actually 268 00:15:12,800 --> 00:15:16,440 Speaker 3: increased suicide. I mean, one study actually found that a 269 00:15:16,600 --> 00:15:20,600 Speaker 3: one degree celsius increase in temperature was associated with a 270 00:15:20,680 --> 00:15:23,600 Speaker 3: twenty two percent increase in the risk of mental health 271 00:15:23,640 --> 00:15:27,680 Speaker 3: related death. And another study found that more people go 272 00:15:27,720 --> 00:15:30,560 Speaker 3: to the emergency room for mental health conditions when it's hot. 273 00:15:31,040 --> 00:15:33,200 Speaker 3: And then I'll just touch on the second piece you 274 00:15:33,200 --> 00:15:35,200 Speaker 3: brought up, and that's you know, sort of that concept 275 00:15:35,200 --> 00:15:37,840 Speaker 3: of violence and aggression, and there have been links that 276 00:15:37,880 --> 00:15:41,720 Speaker 3: have showed that hotter temperatures are associated with higher rates 277 00:15:41,720 --> 00:15:46,560 Speaker 3: of murder, aggravated assaults, mass shootings. It's probably multifactorial. I mean, 278 00:15:46,560 --> 00:15:49,200 Speaker 3: as we talked about your body's redirecting blood from the 279 00:15:49,240 --> 00:15:52,920 Speaker 3: brain to the skin in order to cool yourself down, 280 00:15:53,400 --> 00:15:56,320 Speaker 3: and so perhaps that's affecting different aspects of the brain. 281 00:15:56,600 --> 00:15:59,280 Speaker 3: As I mentioned, it's also associated with poor sleep, and 282 00:15:59,280 --> 00:16:02,880 Speaker 3: that obviously can lead to more problems dealing with violence 283 00:16:02,880 --> 00:16:05,560 Speaker 3: and aggression. So we don't one hundred percent know the 284 00:16:05,640 --> 00:16:08,080 Speaker 3: exact cause, but again I think it's multifactorial. 285 00:16:08,320 --> 00:16:13,320 Speaker 1: And we have come across these statistics around heat related 286 00:16:13,440 --> 00:16:16,000 Speaker 1: deaths in recent years, and some of them have been 287 00:16:16,800 --> 00:16:20,360 Speaker 1: quite spectacular. The European heat wave in two thousand and 288 00:16:20,400 --> 00:16:24,440 Speaker 1: three killed more than seventy thousand people. Here in the 289 00:16:24,560 --> 00:16:28,120 Speaker 1: UK in twenty twenty two, there were a series of 290 00:16:28,160 --> 00:16:34,320 Speaker 1: heat waves and this figure of excess deaths was three thousand, 291 00:16:34,400 --> 00:16:38,440 Speaker 1: where a lot of those deaths are for elderly people 292 00:16:38,600 --> 00:16:43,120 Speaker 1: who are particularly vulnerable in heat waves. But are there 293 00:16:43,360 --> 00:16:47,040 Speaker 1: other types of populations that are at greater risk of 294 00:16:47,120 --> 00:16:51,120 Speaker 1: being affected by heat in fatal ways. 295 00:16:53,040 --> 00:16:55,640 Speaker 3: Yeah, So it's a great question, and I think that 296 00:16:56,440 --> 00:16:58,320 Speaker 3: the take home I want everyone to go away with 297 00:16:58,480 --> 00:17:01,320 Speaker 3: is that we all are at risk for this, especially 298 00:17:01,360 --> 00:17:03,920 Speaker 3: as we get into more and more extreme conditions, and 299 00:17:04,000 --> 00:17:06,199 Speaker 3: even if you have an air conditioned home, you have 300 00:17:06,240 --> 00:17:08,679 Speaker 3: a power outage and then suddenly you do not have 301 00:17:08,720 --> 00:17:11,680 Speaker 3: that ability to cool yourself. Just to take a step back, 302 00:17:11,720 --> 00:17:15,680 Speaker 3: I think about vulnerability in three categories. So I mean 303 00:17:15,720 --> 00:17:19,360 Speaker 3: one is being more susceptible, second is being more exposed 304 00:17:19,359 --> 00:17:21,560 Speaker 3: to the harm, and then third is sort of lacking 305 00:17:21,600 --> 00:17:24,880 Speaker 3: the ability to adapt. First, being more susceptible, I mean 306 00:17:24,880 --> 00:17:27,280 Speaker 3: that can be because of age, as you mentioned, elderly 307 00:17:27,480 --> 00:17:31,040 Speaker 3: children are also more at risk to heat or having 308 00:17:31,080 --> 00:17:36,240 Speaker 3: existing health conditions like heart disease or lung problems. Patients 309 00:17:36,280 --> 00:17:39,960 Speaker 3: on certain medications like blood pressure medications or medications for 310 00:17:40,119 --> 00:17:43,200 Speaker 3: mental health can actually make it harder for our body 311 00:17:43,200 --> 00:17:45,159 Speaker 3: to do that process I talked about in order to 312 00:17:45,160 --> 00:17:48,680 Speaker 3: cool ourselves down. And then second, there are people who 313 00:17:48,680 --> 00:17:51,600 Speaker 3: are more exposed. So for example, in the United States, 314 00:17:52,400 --> 00:17:54,920 Speaker 3: blacks have been shown to be exposed to more extreme 315 00:17:54,960 --> 00:17:57,399 Speaker 3: heat and one of the drivers behind that is the 316 00:17:57,440 --> 00:18:01,879 Speaker 3: concept of redlining, which is a now outlawed racist housing 317 00:18:01,920 --> 00:18:06,720 Speaker 3: practice that supported segregation and limited the economic opportunities available 318 00:18:06,720 --> 00:18:11,720 Speaker 3: to black American families. But even in those neighborhoods that 319 00:18:11,920 --> 00:18:15,920 Speaker 3: were redlined historically are actually hotter today, sometimes upwards of 320 00:18:15,960 --> 00:18:18,879 Speaker 3: twelve degrees hotter fahrenheit. I have to put that in 321 00:18:18,920 --> 00:18:22,639 Speaker 3: context to a global audience. Then non red blind areas 322 00:18:22,680 --> 00:18:24,760 Speaker 3: because of factors like having a lot of man made 323 00:18:24,800 --> 00:18:27,800 Speaker 3: material like asphalt and lack of green space which creates 324 00:18:27,800 --> 00:18:31,160 Speaker 3: these urban heat islands. And outdoor workers is another example, 325 00:18:31,200 --> 00:18:34,680 Speaker 3: because they are outside working in those conditions. And then 326 00:18:34,720 --> 00:18:38,520 Speaker 3: the third category is lacking that ability to adapt, and 327 00:18:38,640 --> 00:18:40,760 Speaker 3: this means you don't have the ability of the resources 328 00:18:40,800 --> 00:18:42,760 Speaker 3: to protect yourself. So this could be a person with 329 00:18:42,920 --> 00:18:46,640 Speaker 3: a disability who can't leave their home during a heat 330 00:18:46,640 --> 00:18:50,320 Speaker 3: wave even though they're getting overheated, or again not having 331 00:18:50,320 --> 00:18:52,640 Speaker 3: the resources to run your air conditioner at the level 332 00:18:52,680 --> 00:18:55,719 Speaker 3: required to stay safe. And so I think people can 333 00:18:55,800 --> 00:18:58,160 Speaker 3: have one of those or many of those. But again 334 00:18:58,240 --> 00:19:01,400 Speaker 3: recognizing that third category of space scially our ability to adapt. 335 00:19:01,440 --> 00:19:03,720 Speaker 3: We all are vulnerable to that in the right circumstance. 336 00:19:05,000 --> 00:19:09,120 Speaker 1: And because this field is young and there's not enough 337 00:19:09,160 --> 00:19:13,239 Speaker 1: research funding coming as is needed. What are things that 338 00:19:13,280 --> 00:19:20,000 Speaker 1: we do not yet know about what heat does, especially 339 00:19:20,000 --> 00:19:23,679 Speaker 1: on extended exposure, and what kind of research is required. 340 00:19:24,680 --> 00:19:27,760 Speaker 3: Just to give an example of some emerging areas. They've 341 00:19:27,800 --> 00:19:33,680 Speaker 3: actually found that microbacteria, for example, ability to be resistant 342 00:19:33,720 --> 00:19:37,560 Speaker 3: to antibiotics increases with heat. And so as I think 343 00:19:37,600 --> 00:19:40,800 Speaker 3: about some of the threats I face in medicine, but 344 00:19:40,920 --> 00:19:45,040 Speaker 3: if heat is actually making that more difficult for me 345 00:19:45,119 --> 00:19:47,640 Speaker 3: to have antibiotics at work, I mean that is a problem. 346 00:19:48,240 --> 00:19:50,119 Speaker 3: And so I think that just shows that we have 347 00:19:50,160 --> 00:19:53,320 Speaker 3: to really understand how is heat impacting all of these 348 00:19:53,359 --> 00:19:56,919 Speaker 3: different areas, but do it in a solution oriented way. 349 00:19:57,160 --> 00:19:59,080 Speaker 3: So we have to think about what we need to 350 00:19:59,080 --> 00:20:01,480 Speaker 3: do from an action standpoint, and then make sure we're 351 00:20:01,520 --> 00:20:04,879 Speaker 3: doing the research that guides those actions. And so I 352 00:20:04,880 --> 00:20:08,640 Speaker 3: think being much more strategic in setting up research questions 353 00:20:08,680 --> 00:20:11,640 Speaker 3: that get us to solutions that protect health and make 354 00:20:11,680 --> 00:20:14,840 Speaker 3: the case for why we need a transition away from 355 00:20:14,840 --> 00:20:15,560 Speaker 3: fossil fuels. 356 00:20:15,920 --> 00:20:18,199 Speaker 1: And one of those solutions that has been deployed in 357 00:20:18,320 --> 00:20:23,359 Speaker 1: recent years has been opening cooling centers and cities. My 358 00:20:23,400 --> 00:20:29,840 Speaker 1: colleagues at Bloombergreen reported on distributing cooling vests to teachers 359 00:20:29,920 --> 00:20:33,120 Speaker 1: who have to be outdoors in places like Phoenix, Arizona. 360 00:20:33,560 --> 00:20:37,280 Speaker 1: I was also reading about how Phoenix had to provide 361 00:20:37,480 --> 00:20:43,359 Speaker 1: rehydration therapy through IV to protect homeless people during heat waves. 362 00:20:44,040 --> 00:20:47,280 Speaker 1: Are there other kinds of creative public health measures that 363 00:20:47,320 --> 00:20:49,879 Speaker 1: have helped people tackle heat? 364 00:20:50,800 --> 00:20:54,040 Speaker 3: Yeah? I mean I'm inspired by so many emerging innovative 365 00:20:54,119 --> 00:20:58,359 Speaker 3: approaches that are happening, and we need to rapidly share 366 00:20:58,400 --> 00:21:01,239 Speaker 3: these experiences across the globe so we can replicate and 367 00:21:01,240 --> 00:21:04,280 Speaker 3: scale what's working. You know, you brought up cooling centers, 368 00:21:04,280 --> 00:21:06,359 Speaker 3: and I think getting back to your previous question about 369 00:21:06,359 --> 00:21:10,320 Speaker 3: what data do we need? So we know cooling centers 370 00:21:10,480 --> 00:21:14,359 Speaker 3: create safe, cool places for people to go, but we 371 00:21:14,520 --> 00:21:18,280 Speaker 3: don't actually know if they always work. Are the right 372 00:21:18,320 --> 00:21:21,560 Speaker 3: people going to cooling centers? And if not, why not? 373 00:21:21,840 --> 00:21:25,160 Speaker 3: Why aren't they getting there? Is it because they aren't 374 00:21:25,200 --> 00:21:27,359 Speaker 3: able to have transportation? Is it because they don't know 375 00:21:27,359 --> 00:21:30,479 Speaker 3: about it? Is it not communicated in their language? So 376 00:21:30,880 --> 00:21:33,239 Speaker 3: there's I think a lot of movement around how to 377 00:21:33,320 --> 00:21:36,399 Speaker 3: dive into things that we know can work, but how 378 00:21:36,400 --> 00:21:39,320 Speaker 3: do we make sure they work better? You know, to 379 00:21:39,359 --> 00:21:41,199 Speaker 3: add to your list of things that you outlined, I 380 00:21:41,200 --> 00:21:44,679 Speaker 3: mean Paris is creating these cool islands, Los Angeles is 381 00:21:44,760 --> 00:21:49,040 Speaker 3: using white paint experiments, Rotterdam is building green rooftops. I 382 00:21:49,080 --> 00:21:51,320 Speaker 3: mean all of that are ways where we have to 383 00:21:51,320 --> 00:21:54,239 Speaker 3: transform our landscape, how we build our cities and our 384 00:21:54,280 --> 00:21:57,639 Speaker 3: buildings to make sure that we can create these cool spaces. 385 00:21:58,040 --> 00:22:01,680 Speaker 3: But obviously, as an embergency medicine doctor, about that individual level, 386 00:22:01,720 --> 00:22:05,040 Speaker 3: because oftentimes I'm seeing a patient in my emergency department 387 00:22:05,080 --> 00:22:07,200 Speaker 3: in the middle of one of these events. So if 388 00:22:07,200 --> 00:22:09,040 Speaker 3: I tell them to go follow up with their primary 389 00:22:09,119 --> 00:22:11,840 Speaker 3: care doctor, they may not be able to actually see 390 00:22:11,840 --> 00:22:15,960 Speaker 3: them in time to intervene in wherever their needs are. 391 00:22:16,520 --> 00:22:19,639 Speaker 3: So you know, we're thinking about how can we create 392 00:22:19,720 --> 00:22:24,359 Speaker 3: coordinated pathways to actually get them energy subsidies that allow 393 00:22:24,440 --> 00:22:27,000 Speaker 3: them to run air conditioners or to weatherize their home. 394 00:22:27,440 --> 00:22:30,680 Speaker 1: Well, I mean that's a level of thinking that typically 395 00:22:30,760 --> 00:22:33,040 Speaker 1: public health officials haven't had to do, which is to 396 00:22:33,080 --> 00:22:38,960 Speaker 1: think about the infrastructure that surrounds people who are affected 397 00:22:39,000 --> 00:22:41,760 Speaker 1: by heat related illness. 398 00:22:42,160 --> 00:22:43,679 Speaker 3: Yeah, and I think in my mind, this is that 399 00:22:43,800 --> 00:22:48,080 Speaker 3: all hands on deck moment that we're in because we 400 00:22:48,440 --> 00:22:51,280 Speaker 3: have to think about this in multiple levels. We have 401 00:22:51,320 --> 00:22:53,640 Speaker 3: to put health and equity at the center of our response, 402 00:22:54,160 --> 00:22:56,639 Speaker 3: and we need to recognize that the solutions to protect 403 00:22:56,720 --> 00:22:58,800 Speaker 3: patients and communities. So I mean my patients that I 404 00:22:58,840 --> 00:23:01,520 Speaker 3: see in my emergency departm often exists outside of the 405 00:23:01,560 --> 00:23:05,600 Speaker 3: traditional health sector, and so we because of this all 406 00:23:05,600 --> 00:23:08,960 Speaker 3: inclusive nature, we have to be collaborative and coordinated both 407 00:23:09,000 --> 00:23:11,240 Speaker 3: within our own sector, so kind of between medicine and 408 00:23:11,280 --> 00:23:15,000 Speaker 3: public health, but also across these other sectors. Because you know, 409 00:23:15,080 --> 00:23:17,240 Speaker 3: if you look at the reviews on heat I mean, 410 00:23:17,240 --> 00:23:19,680 Speaker 3: they have tables that are two pages long about all 411 00:23:19,720 --> 00:23:22,240 Speaker 3: the things that we can do to help create cool 412 00:23:22,359 --> 00:23:26,080 Speaker 3: environments and protect patients and individuals. But we have to 413 00:23:26,280 --> 00:23:28,800 Speaker 3: have that toolbox ready, but be able to deploy it 414 00:23:28,880 --> 00:23:32,000 Speaker 3: locally and tailor it to exactly that patient in front 415 00:23:32,040 --> 00:23:34,000 Speaker 3: of us and that community that we're working with. 416 00:23:37,880 --> 00:23:41,240 Speaker 1: After the break, Runny ways in on whether naming heat 417 00:23:41,280 --> 00:23:44,760 Speaker 1: waves might help us better prepare for them. And if 418 00:23:44,760 --> 00:23:47,200 Speaker 1: you've been enjoying this episode, please take a moment to 419 00:23:47,280 --> 00:23:50,000 Speaker 1: rate and review the show on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. 420 00:23:50,400 --> 00:24:00,320 Speaker 1: It helps other listeners find the show. One thing on 421 00:24:00,359 --> 00:24:04,119 Speaker 1: the table during extreme heat is to potentially give heat 422 00:24:04,160 --> 00:24:08,040 Speaker 1: waves a name, just the way we give hurricanes names. 423 00:24:08,600 --> 00:24:09,800 Speaker 1: What do you think of that idea? 424 00:24:10,760 --> 00:24:14,399 Speaker 3: Yeah, no, I love that and Seville I think Spain 425 00:24:14,520 --> 00:24:17,120 Speaker 3: is naming heat waves and I think it's a way 426 00:24:17,280 --> 00:24:21,040 Speaker 3: just to ensure that heat, extreme heat and especially heat 427 00:24:21,040 --> 00:24:24,680 Speaker 3: waves are not silent killers anymore. And that I think 428 00:24:24,760 --> 00:24:28,040 Speaker 3: that idea and that concept really builds on something else 429 00:24:28,040 --> 00:24:31,480 Speaker 3: that's happening here in the United States, and that's that FEMA, So, 430 00:24:31,800 --> 00:24:35,760 Speaker 3: our federal agency that responds to disasters and provides resources 431 00:24:35,760 --> 00:24:39,639 Speaker 3: to disasters, doesn't currently view extreme heat and heat waves 432 00:24:39,720 --> 00:24:45,040 Speaker 3: as a emergency. There's a move to try to ensure 433 00:24:45,280 --> 00:24:48,640 Speaker 3: that it can be classified as a disaster because arguably 434 00:24:48,680 --> 00:24:53,040 Speaker 3: it is the costliest from a human toll perspective, disaster 435 00:24:53,200 --> 00:24:56,880 Speaker 3: than any other extreme weather events, whether hurricanes, bloods, etc. 436 00:24:58,280 --> 00:25:00,560 Speaker 3: And so how do we make that that happen? And 437 00:25:00,600 --> 00:25:03,160 Speaker 3: I think one aspect is naming them is a good way, 438 00:25:03,200 --> 00:25:05,800 Speaker 3: But a second one is how do we actually calculate 439 00:25:06,359 --> 00:25:12,200 Speaker 3: the true human costs of disasters. So the federal government 440 00:25:12,280 --> 00:25:15,480 Speaker 3: tracks weather in climate disasters in the United States that 441 00:25:15,520 --> 00:25:18,280 Speaker 3: are over a billion dollars, but that's only done based 442 00:25:18,280 --> 00:25:21,359 Speaker 3: off of structural damage and so the economic damage that 443 00:25:21,400 --> 00:25:24,840 Speaker 3: comes from those structural costs. But what if we start 444 00:25:24,880 --> 00:25:28,720 Speaker 3: also including healthcare related costs, so the cost of more 445 00:25:28,760 --> 00:25:32,520 Speaker 3: patients going to emergency departments and hospitalizations, And it's really 446 00:25:32,520 --> 00:25:34,800 Speaker 3: hard to put a cost on death, but that is 447 00:25:34,920 --> 00:25:37,800 Speaker 3: obviously something that we do to try to understand that 448 00:25:37,840 --> 00:25:42,000 Speaker 3: full scope. But then heat could then become a financial 449 00:25:42,040 --> 00:25:44,440 Speaker 3: aspect that's tracked and can start to be in line 450 00:25:44,440 --> 00:25:47,040 Speaker 3: with all these other disasters. So I think it's the 451 00:25:47,119 --> 00:25:49,240 Speaker 3: right move. It's the way that we have to go 452 00:25:49,680 --> 00:25:52,760 Speaker 3: to really elevate extreme heat to no longer being a 453 00:25:52,760 --> 00:25:53,399 Speaker 3: silent killer. 454 00:25:53,800 --> 00:25:56,960 Speaker 1: And what tips might you have for people who think, Oh, 455 00:25:57,000 --> 00:25:59,920 Speaker 1: you know, I'm in good health, I don't really get 456 00:26:00,080 --> 00:26:03,040 Speaker 1: affected by heat so much. I know this heat wave 457 00:26:03,119 --> 00:26:05,840 Speaker 1: is coming, I don't have to really worry. 458 00:26:06,440 --> 00:26:06,600 Speaker 2: Well. 459 00:26:06,600 --> 00:26:11,600 Speaker 3: I think one response that tends to get people's attention, 460 00:26:11,720 --> 00:26:15,359 Speaker 3: at least in my past experience, is what happens if 461 00:26:15,400 --> 00:26:18,480 Speaker 3: the power goes out? And I think most people will 462 00:26:18,520 --> 00:26:22,479 Speaker 3: pause and say, I don't know. I mean, there's obviously 463 00:26:22,480 --> 00:26:24,920 Speaker 3: some who are very well prepared and have backup generators 464 00:26:24,960 --> 00:26:27,919 Speaker 3: and cooling systems, but I think that's very rare. And 465 00:26:27,960 --> 00:26:30,439 Speaker 3: again it's those who have the resources with which to 466 00:26:30,480 --> 00:26:32,959 Speaker 3: be able to do that. We are all in this together. 467 00:26:33,080 --> 00:26:34,880 Speaker 3: And so even if you are sitting there in your 468 00:26:34,880 --> 00:26:37,760 Speaker 3: air conditioned home and a record breaking heat wave, what 469 00:26:37,840 --> 00:26:41,840 Speaker 3: about that neighbor that lives next door. What about the 470 00:26:41,600 --> 00:26:44,240 Speaker 3: you know, the individuals down the street or others within 471 00:26:44,280 --> 00:26:48,120 Speaker 3: your community. And I think some of the most innovative 472 00:26:48,480 --> 00:26:51,159 Speaker 3: things that I've heard that have been really successful to 473 00:26:51,240 --> 00:26:54,679 Speaker 3: build on our growing theme here in our conversation is 474 00:26:55,320 --> 00:26:58,560 Speaker 3: really those community centered supportive approaches, So checking on your 475 00:26:58,600 --> 00:27:01,639 Speaker 3: neighbors and having those one on one connection so that 476 00:27:01,680 --> 00:27:04,800 Speaker 3: way you know you have a disabled, elderly neighbor, you 477 00:27:04,840 --> 00:27:06,640 Speaker 3: know who's checking on that person in the heat wave, 478 00:27:06,720 --> 00:27:09,280 Speaker 3: and if if you're not sure, then why not you? 479 00:27:10,400 --> 00:27:13,400 Speaker 3: Thank you, Renne, Thank you, It was such a privilege 480 00:27:13,400 --> 00:27:14,160 Speaker 3: to have this conversation. 481 00:27:14,280 --> 00:27:21,200 Speaker 1: Thank you so Olivia. We heard from Renee how much 482 00:27:21,400 --> 00:27:25,320 Speaker 1: heat can affect health and how poorly it is understood 483 00:27:25,840 --> 00:27:29,240 Speaker 1: what heat can do do health. Is there an example 484 00:27:29,240 --> 00:27:32,919 Speaker 1: that sort of sticks out and tells you why we 485 00:27:33,000 --> 00:27:36,000 Speaker 1: must be much more careful than we have been about 486 00:27:36,040 --> 00:27:37,360 Speaker 1: what heat waves can do to us. 487 00:27:38,640 --> 00:27:40,879 Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean there's been a whole spate of examples 488 00:27:40,920 --> 00:27:46,200 Speaker 2: this summer, of tourists going on walks in Spain and Greece. 489 00:27:46,280 --> 00:27:48,560 Speaker 2: There was the awful case of Michael Mosley. There's sort 490 00:27:48,600 --> 00:27:52,639 Speaker 2: of UK celebrity who died in the heat but the 491 00:27:52,680 --> 00:27:55,160 Speaker 2: one that I think really kind of brought it home 492 00:27:55,200 --> 00:27:57,480 Speaker 2: to me. There was a case of a family that 493 00:27:57,520 --> 00:28:00,359 Speaker 2: went hiking in California a few years and it was 494 00:28:00,359 --> 00:28:02,040 Speaker 2: when I was actually in California, so I remember reading 495 00:28:02,040 --> 00:28:04,320 Speaker 2: about it in the newspapers at the time, and they 496 00:28:04,359 --> 00:28:08,440 Speaker 2: all died on the trail in really quite surprising circumstances, 497 00:28:08,800 --> 00:28:11,239 Speaker 2: and all of the reporting I remember, you know, at 498 00:28:11,240 --> 00:28:14,400 Speaker 2: the time, right after it had happened, they were suggesting 499 00:28:14,440 --> 00:28:17,240 Speaker 2: all kinds of different causes for why this might have happened. 500 00:28:17,320 --> 00:28:20,159 Speaker 2: You know, It's like chemical spills and fungus, and it 501 00:28:20,280 --> 00:28:24,080 Speaker 2: was really a mystery. And then later on, you know, 502 00:28:24,119 --> 00:28:26,200 Speaker 2: they realized that they'd all been killed by the heat, 503 00:28:26,760 --> 00:28:28,600 Speaker 2: and it was such a tragic case. It was horrible. 504 00:28:28,680 --> 00:28:31,680 Speaker 2: It was really horrible, really young child and their young parents. 505 00:28:32,200 --> 00:28:34,800 Speaker 2: And you know, I think that really brought home to 506 00:28:34,880 --> 00:28:37,840 Speaker 2: me the fact that even for the authorities, let alone 507 00:28:37,880 --> 00:28:40,760 Speaker 2: the general public, it's not something that's expected that he 508 00:28:40,920 --> 00:28:43,880 Speaker 2: would be something that's so deadly, and you know how 509 00:28:43,920 --> 00:28:45,920 Speaker 2: far we are from really taking it seriously as a 510 00:28:46,000 --> 00:28:46,960 Speaker 2: danger to our health. 511 00:28:47,520 --> 00:28:58,120 Speaker 1: Thank you, Olivia, thank you, thank you for listening to zero. 512 00:28:58,680 --> 00:29:09,680 Speaker 1: And now for the sound of the That is the 513 00:29:09,680 --> 00:29:12,120 Speaker 1: sound of a little fan on my desk at home. 514 00:29:12,840 --> 00:29:14,880 Speaker 1: For the first ten years living here in the UK, 515 00:29:15,400 --> 00:29:18,959 Speaker 1: I never needed it, but now I need it every summer. 516 00:29:19,400 --> 00:29:23,959 Speaker 1: Now I might even have to get an upgrade. If 517 00:29:24,000 --> 00:29:26,000 Speaker 1: you like this episode, please take a moment to rate 518 00:29:26,040 --> 00:29:29,280 Speaker 1: and review the show on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Share 519 00:29:29,320 --> 00:29:31,920 Speaker 1: this episode with a friend or with someone who sweats 520 00:29:31,960 --> 00:29:34,600 Speaker 1: a lot. You can get in touch at zero pod 521 00:29:34,600 --> 00:29:38,520 Speaker 1: at Bloomberg dot Net. Zero's producer is miight Lerau. Bloomberg's 522 00:29:38,560 --> 00:29:41,080 Speaker 1: Head a podcast is Sage Bowman and head of Talk 523 00:29:41,280 --> 00:29:44,600 Speaker 1: is Brendan Nuna. Our theme music is composed by Wonderly 524 00:29:45,440 --> 00:29:49,240 Speaker 1: Special thanks to Kira Bindram, Matthew Griffin and Jessica Beg. 525 00:29:49,720 --> 00:29:51,680 Speaker 1: I am Actradrati Back soon.