학술논문
Population Aging and Heat Exposure in the 21st Century: Which U.S. Regions Are at Greatest Risk and Why?
Document Type
Academic Journal
Author
Carr D; Department of Sociology and Center for Innovation in Social Science, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.; Falchetta G; International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, Vienna, Austria.; Euro-Mediterranean Center on Climate Change, Venice, Italy.; Sue Wing I; Department of Earth and Environment, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Source
Publisher: Oxford University Press Country of Publication: United States NLM ID: 0375327 Publication Model: Print Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1758-5341 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 00169013 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Gerontologist Subsets: MEDLINE
Subject
Language
English
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 throughout the United States, with particular "hotspots" in the Deep South, Florida, and parts of the rural Midwest. Increases in heat exposure by 2050 will be especially steep in historically colder regions with large older populations in New England, the upper Midwest, and rural Mountain regions. Rising temperatures are driving exposure in historically colder regions, whereas population aging is driving exposure in historically warm southern regions.
Discussion and Implications: Interventions to address the impacts of temperature extremes on older adult well-being should consider the geographic distribution and drivers of this exposure. In historically cooler areas where climate change is driving exposures, investments in warning systems may be productive, whereas investments in health care and social services infrastructures are essential in historically hot regions where exposures are driven by population aging.
(© The Author(s) 2023. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Gerontological Society of America.)
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 throughout the United States, with particular "hotspots" in the Deep South, Florida, and parts of the rural Midwest. Increases in heat exposure by 2050 will be especially steep in historically colder regions with large older populations in New England, the upper Midwest, and rural Mountain regions. Rising temperatures are driving exposure in historically colder regions, whereas population aging is driving exposure in historically warm southern regions.
Discussion and Implications: Interventions to address the impacts of temperature extremes on older adult well-being should consider the geographic distribution and drivers of this exposure. In historically cooler areas where climate change is driving exposures, investments in warning systems may be productive, whereas investments in health care and social services infrastructures are essential in historically hot regions where exposures are driven by population aging.
(© The Author(s) 2023. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Gerontological Society of America.)