Raising temperatures send over 67,000 people to the emergency room yearly and cause an estimated 5,609 fatalities most of whom are over the age of 50. With the process of aging, our body loses the ability to dissipate heat and, a notable mention, the elderly typically endure more chronic health problems and thus take more medications that affect the body’s capacity to manage excessive heat. Such medications include antihistamines, certain antidepressants, and blood pressure medications. Moreover, sweat glands, our body’s primary way of cooling us down, loses effectiveness with age and “can’t pump out as much sweat as quickly.” Lastly, extreme heat exacerbates the severity of heart conditions and diabetes while also increasing risk of other organ problems as a result of dehydration which targets older adults as a “decreased sense of thirst that sets in as you age.”

This article relates to environmental science because it directly highlights the relationship between the environmental factors and concerns, such as climate change, and its effect on human well-being. It is concerning how the climate crisis impacts our most vulnerable disproportionately: the young and the elderly. I think many people, especially Americans, feel unfoundedly complacent thanks to our undue reliance on air conditioning and the fact that the heat issue is like an “invisible epidemic,” it may be hard to notice the difference in a few degrees in areas seasonally known to become very hot. As much as optimal temperatures are convenient and impactful to human productivity, comfortability, and even health, it remains a privilege that many do not have, especially those in lower-income households: a fact many people cease to realize.