Disadvantaged communities face increase in energy-impacting heat
Communities use more electricity—for air conditioning, medical equipment, and cooling centers—than normal during heat waves, and this increase in demand can threaten the reliability of energy systems.
About eight million people in disadvantaged communities, mostly in the desert Southwest and southern Texas, have historically faced at least 24 days a year where high levels of extreme heat could impact energy systems.
Our modeling found that by 2050, 34 million people in disadvantaged communities in the South, Midwest, and Southwest will be exposed to at least 24 energy-impacting heat days a year in a moderate emissions scenario. And that number could rise to 43 million people in disadvantaged communities—stretching across the southern half of the continental United States—under a high-emissions scenario.
Read the report for strategies to help overburdened communities adapt to the rise in extreme heat over the coming decades.