Citation

Fick DM, Young HM. J. Gerontol. Nurs. 2023; 49(11): 3-5.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2023, Healio)

DOI

10.3928/00989134-20231010-01

PMID

37906047

Abstract

It is highly likely that in the past few years you and your community have experienced or been close to an extreme weather event, such as a hurricane, flood, heat wave, drought, severe storm, or wildfire. Since 1970, the annual number of disasters globally has increased by a factor of five (World Meteorological Organization, 2021). In 2022, in the United States, there were 18 significant weather and climate disasters, including severe storms, wildfires, droughts, heat waves, flooding, cyclones, and tornadoes (Smith, 2023). Climate change, fueled by greenhouse gas emissions, is driving the acceleration of global warming, increasing the likelihood of extreme weather events and the production of hazardous pollutant ground-level ozone. Extreme weather has a direct effect on human health and also disrupts community resources, including power, water, housing, and services, sometimes for considerable time after the major event (Center for Climate and Energy Solutions, 2023).

Extreme weather events pose greater risk and impact for older adults and affect communities of color and low-income older adults disproportionately (National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, 2023). The legacy of structural racism and zoning is prominent as low-income communities, disproportionately including BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and Persons of Color) members, have higher exposure to risks, such as pollution, heat islands, flood-prone zones, and sub-standard housing, and have fewer resources to prevent or mitigate the effects of disaster. "Climate gap" inequities are expressed in many ways at the individual level, from access to air conditioning and transportation, costs of food and basic supplies, and lack of adequate property insurance. Forces of structural racism shape community access to clean air and water, protective green space, transportation, adequate housing, and supportive resources and services (Morello-Frosch & Obasogie, 2023)...

Language: en

Keywords

Aged; Humans; *Extreme Weather