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Climate Change and Increasing Risk of Extreme Heat

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Part of the book series: SpringerBriefs in Medical Earth Sciences ((BRIEFSMEEASC))

Abstract

Extreme heat has negative impacts on human health, labor productivity, and many other aspects of life. Both historical trends and future projections suggest that the extreme heat hazard will increase, but measures to reduce risk are being studied and implemented to lessen the impacts of extreme heat. Heat health early warning systems and longer-term planning and preparedness require skillful, seamless predictions of the heat hazard from weeks to months and from years to decades into the future. They allow for shorter-term interventions and longer-term policy and infrastructural investments which can reduce risk. Investments in observing systems, science to understand the physical mechanisms driving heat extremes, and model improvements are essential to developing these predictions and a critical part of addressing the human health risks of extreme heat in a changing climate.

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Correspondence to Hunter M. Jones .

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Jones, H.M. (2018). Climate Change and Increasing Risk of Extreme Heat. In: Hosokawa, Y. (eds) Human Health and Physical Activity During Heat Exposure. SpringerBriefs in Medical Earth Sciences. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-75889-3_1

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