Publication Abstracts

Wilson et al. 2024

Wilson, A.J., R.D. Bressler, C. Ivanovich, C. Tuholske, C. Raymond, R.M. Horton, A. Sobel, P. Kinney, T. Cavazos, and J.G. Shrader, 2024: Heat disproportionately kills young people: Evidence from wet-bulb temperature in Mexico. Sci. Adv., 10, no. 49, eadq3367, doi:10.1126/sciadv.adq3367.

Recent studies project that temperature-related mortality will be the largest source of damage from climate change, with particular concern for the elderly whom it is believed bear the largest heat-related mortality risk. We study heat and mortality in Mexico, a country that exhibits a unique combination of universal mortality microdata and among the most extreme levels of humid heat. Combining detailed measurements of wet-bulb temperature with age-specific mortality data, we find that younger people who are particularly vulnerable to heat: People under 35 years old account for 75% of recent heat-related deaths and 87% of heat-related lost life years, while those 50 and older account for 96% of cold-related deaths and 80% of cold-related lost life years. We develop high-resolution projections of humid heat and associated mortality and find that under the end-of-century SSP 3?7.0 emissions scenario, temperature-related deaths shift from older to younger people. Deaths among under-35-year-olds increase 32% while decreasing by 33% among other age groups. Analysis of temperature exposure and microdata finds the majority of heat-related deaths are among people under 35 years old.

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BibTeX Citation

@article{wi01600j,
  author={Wilson, A. J. and Bressler, R. D. and Ivanovich, C. and Tuholske, C. and Raymond, C. and Horton, R. M. and Sobel, A. and Kinney, P. and Cavazos, T. and Shrader, J. G.},
  title={Heat disproportionately kills young people: Evidence from wet-bulb temperature in Mexico},
  year={2024},
  journal={Science Advances},
  volume={10},
  number={49},
  pages={eadq3367},
  doi={10.1126/sciadv.adq3367},
}

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RIS Citation

TY  - JOUR
ID  - wi01600j
AU  - Wilson, A. J.
AU  - Bressler, R. D.
AU  - Ivanovich, C.
AU  - Tuholske, C.
AU  - Raymond, C.
AU  - Horton, R. M.
AU  - Sobel, A.
AU  - Kinney, P.
AU  - Cavazos, T.
AU  - Shrader, J. G.
PY  - 2024
TI  - Heat disproportionately kills young people: Evidence from wet-bulb temperature in Mexico
JA  - Sci. Adv.
JO  - Science Advances
VL  - 10
IS  - 49
SP  - eadq3367
DO  - 10.1126/sciadv.adq3367
ER  -

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