The report shows that on average, there are approximately 370 heat-related deaths annually in New York City. This number includes an estimated 360 heat-exacerbated deaths (which occur when heat worsens existing chronic conditions such as heart disease) and 10 heat stress deaths (which are caused directly due to heat).
Among the more disturbing findings are that Black New Yorkers are more likely to die from heat stress, with death rates two times higher than among white New Yorkers. Death rates were also higher in neighborhoods with more residents living below the federal poverty line compared with wealthier neighborhoods. Compounding this troubling disparity is the report’s confirmation that extreme heat events are expected to increase, both in frequency and intensity.
These reports and data are available in part due to NYC-EJA's continued advocacy in pushing the City government to acknowledge and address extreme heat. NYC-EJA worked closely with the City Council in 2020 to pass NYC’s first extreme heat laws
Int 1945-2020 (i.e. to amend annual reporting of heat vulnerability and mortality) and
Int 1960-2020 (i.e. to create comprehensive cooling and communication plans).
Increased transparency of data and rigorousness of analysis has enabled us to see a much clearer and more comprehensive view of how heat impacts mortality in NYC. We are now seeing numbers of over 350 deaths associated with heat each year, which we suspected all along, but were not able to see since previous counts were limited to direct cause heat-related deaths and extreme heat emergencies.
By counting deaths on all hot days, instead of those only with extreme heat events, we see an almost 3-fold increase in reported heat-related mortality, showing a much more comprehensive picture of how extreme heat impacts the health and well-being of New Yorkers.
NYC-EJA knows that heat mortality disparities and disproportionate vulnerabilities are not unique to New York City, which is why we supported the Senate and Assembly’s passage of the first NYS law last month to mandate a study analyzing the impact of the urban heat island effect on disadvantaged communities across the State (S8431/A10001B). The bill has passed both in the Senate and Assembly, and now awaits the Governor's signature. Find our memo of support here.
To read more about NYC’s Heat Mortality report and NYC-EJA’s reaction to it, please see this recent article from CNN.
