At a Glance

Heat-related deaths will rise significantly if climate change continues unabated.A new study looks to highlight the human cost of inaction to curb rising temperatures.

Heat-related fatalities will drastically increase in 10 major U.S. cities if climate change is allowed to continue at its current rate, according to a new study.

Researchers from Brown University from Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphiaand Washington D.C. with temperature models between the years 2085 and 2090. Their findings were published in the journal Environmental International.

"The conversation about climate change is typically focused on the costs of mitigation, but this paper shows the human toll of policy inaction," said study senior author Gregory Wellenius, an associate professor of epidemiology at Brown's School of Public Health. "These results show the cost in terms of human lives due to just this one aspect of climate change: temperature."

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The mortality-rate predictions were calculated for two potential futures without accounting for population growth.

In the "worst case" scenario, the average heat-related mortality rate would be 10,300 per year by 2050 and 26,000 by 2090. In the scenario where the rate of human-caused climate change is curbed, the number of heat-related deaths would be approximately 7,700 by 2050 and 10,400 by 2090.

When population growth was factored in, the predicted rise in heat-related deaths increased significantly. Some 16,400 fatalities would be heat-related by 2050 in the "worst case," with 52,339 deaths expected in 2090, while the better-case projected 12,300 and 21,100 deaths in 2050 and 2090, respectively.

Just a year ago, it was believed by 2100. According to the Brown study, that number is now even larger for just the 10 biggest U.S. cities if climate change goes unchecked.

Additionally, another recent report says than most think.

The study did have some good news: projected temperature changes will also lead to lower rates of cold-related mortality, though that will vary by location.

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