Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Comment
  • Published:

Heat and health inequity: acting on determinants of health to promote heat justice

Climate change is increasing global temperatures and causing more frequent and severe extreme heat events. The resulting additional disease burden is inequitably distributed. Strategies that reduce inequities in heat exposure and vulnerability to heat-related illness, as well as health protections at multiple levels (from individual to regional), are urgently needed to contain the looming crisis.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

References

  1. Overland, J. E. Causes of the record-breaking Pacific Northwest heatwave, late June 2021. Atmosphere 12, 1434 (2021).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Vasquez, T. An unprecedented Pacific Northwest heat wave rings alarm bells. Weatherwise 75, 22–27 (2022).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Kolak, M., Bhatt, J., Park, Y. H., Padrón, N. A. & Molefe, A. Quantification of neighborhood-level social determinants of health in the continental United States. JAMA Netw. Open 3, e1919928 (2020).

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  4. Graham, H. Social determinants and their unequal distribution: clarifying policy understandings. Milbank Q. 82, 101–124 (2004).

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  5. Vicedo-Cabrera, A. M. et al. The burden of heat-related mortality attributable to recent human-induced climate change. Nat. Clim. Change 11, 492–500 (2021).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Ebi, K. L. & Hess, J. J. Health risks due to climate change: inequity in causes and consequences. Health Aff. 39, 2056–2062 (2020).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Taylor, E. V. et al. Differences in heat-related mortality by citizenship status: United States, 2005–2014. Am. J. Public Health 108, S131–S136 (2018).

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  8. Skarha, J. et al. Provision of air conditioning and heat-related mortality in Texas prisons. JAMA Netw. Open 5, e2239849 (2022).

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  9. Hoffman, J. S., Shandas, V. & Pendleton, N. The effects of historical housing policies on resident exposure to intra-urban heat: a study of 108 US urban areas. Climate 8, 12 (2020).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Goldstein, B., Reames, T. G. & Newell, J. P. Racial inequity in household energy efficiency and carbon emissions in the United States: an emissions paradox. Energy Res. Soc. Sci. 84, 102365 (2022).

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jeremy Hess.

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

The author declares no competing interests.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Hess, J. Heat and health inequity: acting on determinants of health to promote heat justice. Nat Rev Nephrol 19, 143–144 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41581-023-00679-z

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41581-023-00679-z

Search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing