Population Aging and Heat Exposure in the 21st Century: Which U.S. Regions Are at Greatest Risk and Why?

ABSTRACT:

Background and objectives

The co-occurring trends of population aging and climate change mean that rising numbers of U.S. older adults are at risk of intensifying heat exposure. We estimate county-level variations in older populations' heat exposure in the early (1995-2014) and mid (2050) 21st century. We identify the extent to which rising exposures are attributable to climate change versus population aging.

Research design and methods

We estimate older adults' heat exposure in 3,109 counties in the 48 contiguous U.S. states. Analyses use NASA NEX Global Daily Downscaled Product (NEX-GDDP-CMIP6) climate data and county-level projections for the size and distribution of the U.S. age 69+ population.

Results

Population aging and rising temperatures are documented throug

SUBMITTER: Carr D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10860513 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature