Wall Street Journal: Adding Up the Cost of Climate Change in Lost Lives
“Scorching heat waves have gripped the world in recent weeks from the Pacific Northwest to Northern Europe and, most tragically, Japan, where more than 100 mostly elderly people have died. … [A]n exhaustive new study focusing only on heat-related damage reaches a sobering conclusion: by the year 2099, even with economic growth and adaptation, 1.5 million more people will die each year around the world because of increased heat. By comparison, 1.25 million people died in 2013 in all traffic accidents worldwide. … Excessive heat can lead to brain and kidney damage and cardiovascular stress, especially for those over 64, which is why Japan’s recent experience is relevant. Japan is an aging society and the rest of the world will get steadily older over the coming century…” (Ip, 8/1).