Summer blackouts during heatwaves could cause 'immense loss of life and illness' in major US cities: study

23 May 2023

Climate change can be a vicious cycle during the summer months.

Hotter temperatures inspire people to use their air conditioning more. But using more power, according to scientists, aggravates the very thing that is fueling the need for more AC: climate change.

In an article published by the New York Times on May 23, journalist Michael Levenson examines the effects that summer blackouts can have in major cities like Phoenix and Atlanta — effects that include more "deaths and illnesses."

Drawing on a study published by the journal Environmental Science and Technology on Tuesday, May 22, Levenson explains, "If a multi-day blackout in Phoenix coincided with a heat wave, nearly half the population would require emergency department care for heat stroke or other heat-related illnesses, a new study suggests…. Since 2015, the number of major blackouts nationwide has more than doubled. At the same time, climate change is helping make heatwaves worse and increasing instances of extreme weather around the world."

Climate change deniers typically point out that Phoenix has always had hot summers — it's in the Arizona desert, after all — just as Miami has always had hurricanes and Buffalo has always been known for heavy winter snowfall. But the point that such arguments miss is that climate change intensifies and increases everything. That means even hotter summers in Phoenix, even more droughts in California, even more hurricanes in Miami and even heavier snowfall in Buffalo. Tornadoes have been common in Oklahoma, Kansas and North Texas — the area known as Tornado Alley — but climate change will make them even more common.

"This summer, two-thirds of North America, including the Southwest, could experience shortfalls in the electrical grid, particularly during periods of extreme heat when demand for air-conditioning spikes, straining resources, according to an analysis released this month," Levenson warns. "Phoenix's mayor, Kate Gallego, has urged the federal government to add extreme heat to the list of disasters like floods and hurricanes that could prompt a federal disaster declaration."

The reporter adds, "The new analysis found that Phoenix, which is heavily reliant on air conditioning to keep residents cool in the desert heat, would experience immense loss of life and illness if a citywide blackout during a heatwave lasted for two days, with power gradually restored over the next three days. Under that scenario, an estimated 789,600 people would require emergency department care for heat-related illnesses, overwhelming the city’s hospital system, which has only 3000 emergency department beds, the study said."

Read the New York Times' full article at this link (subscription needed) and the Environmental Science and Technology report here.

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