Report: Extreme temperatures disproportionately affects minority, low-income communities stuck in ‘heat islands’
“’Even within a given setting, such as a city, vulnerability to heat is not equally distributed,’ stated the Guinn Center report. ‘Uneven patterns of investment, dislocation and zoning laws have resulted in some of Nevada’s communities — disproportionately minorities and people experiencing poverty— facing a state of heightened exposure and vulnerability to climate-related threats.’
As extreme heat becomes more common across the West, it causes more deaths per year in the U.S. than other natural disasters, such as tornadoes, floods or hurricanes, the report highlighted. On average, 1,500 people die each year from heat-related issues in urban areas. In Clark County, 82 people died from heat-related causes last year.”