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

Journal Article · 28 April 2023 · The Gerontologist

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/gnad050 · OSTI ID:2301709

Carr, Deborah  ^[1]; Falchetta, Giacomo ^[2]; Wing, Ian Sue ^[1]

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1. Boston Univ., MA (United States)
2. International Inst. for Applied Systems Analysis and Euro-Mediterranean Center on Climate Change, Venice (Italy)

Here, 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. 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. Population aging and rising temperatures are documented throughout the U.S., 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. 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 healthcare and social services infrastructures are essential in historically hot regions where exposures are driven by population aging.

• Research Organization: Boston Univ., MA (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Office of Science (SC), Biological and Environmental Research (BER); USDOE
• Grant/Contract Number: SC0016162; SC0022141
• OSTI ID: 2301709
• Alternate ID(s): OSTI ID: 1973756; OSTI ID: 1989721
• Journal Information: The Gerontologist, Vol. 64, Issue 3; ISSN 0016-9013
• Publisher: Oxford University PressCopyright Statement
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English