Unlike other natural disasters, extreme heat does not topple buildings, flood streets or turn road signs into rockets. It doesn’t provide a dramatic backdrop for daredevil weather reporters. What it mainly does is kill people, quietly and efficiently. It is long past time for us to respect its destructive power, which will only increase as a warming planet makes heat waves more frequent and intense.
This discussion is particularly relevant this week as a “heat spot” that has punished Mexico and the U.S. Southwest for months is creeping into the Midwest, Northeast and Canada, potentially exposing 150 million people to unusually high temperatures for a miserable number of days.
For many Americans, a heat wave is merely a nuisance. We sweat through our work clothes and blow our energy bills by running the air conditioning. Roads and sidewalks will buckle. Amtrak and New York City’s public transit system will lose their spotless reputation for reliable performance (yes, that was sarcasm) as rail lines warp and power lines sag.
