Phoenix has become a glaring example of the immediate and dire effects of climate change, experiencing extreme heat conditions that have set numerous alarming records. According to a report by Phoenix New Times, the city withstood 113 consecutive days in 2024 with temperatures reaching 100 degrees or higher, marking the longest streak in recorded history. Adding to the pressing heat issue, AZ Mirror highlights that this year has seen yet another intense period, with a 17-day run exceeding 100 degrees, including seven days above the 110-degree mark.
Heat-related fatalities tell a somber story, with Maricopa County losing 645 lives due to the heat in 2023, constituting over half the country's heat-related deaths as reported by the Centers for Disease Control. Quoted by Phoenix New Times, Dr. Jack Tuber, a Phoenix pulmonologist and Sierra Club member, called the city "the epicenter of this crisis in the United States." Despite 2024 being the hottest recorded year, there was a slightly lower number of heat-related deaths, compared to the past year.
The phenomenon of the urban heat island effect further exacerbates this crisis in Phoenix, amplifying temperatures due to man-made structures and surfaces absorbing and re-emitting the sun's heat more than natural landscapes. This has led to increased ozone levels, with an analysis by the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality showing a 60% hike in exceedance days from 2015 to 2022, Phoenix New Times noted.
Many in Phoenix, an urban heat island effect, has raised both temperatures and concerns over air quality. As of 2022, the city saw a 60% increase in days with unsafe ozone levels since 2015, per an analysis by the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality. Dr. Tuber explained to Phoenix New Times, "there is nothing that kills more in regards to global warming or extreme weather than heat."
A "People’s Hearing" convened under the broiling temperatures, with local environmentalists, physicians, and concerned citizens testifying to the unbearable conditions and urging policymakers to act. This gathering, as documented by AZ Mirror, featured voices like Dr. Ryan Glaubke, a paleoclimatologist, who stated, "There is no precedent for what we are experiencing today. We are pushing the climate into uncharted territory."
Direct physical impacts are also a cause for alarm, with common surfaces in the city heating up to dangerously high temperatures. A local burn surgeon, Dr. Clifford Sheckter, highlighted to Phoenix New Times that it takes less than 30 seconds for someone to suffer second or third-degree burns when in contact with objects between 130 to 140 degrees, a reality for many surfaces in Phoenix. The rising temperatures not only threaten with burns but also exacerbate vector-borne illnesses and respiratory challenges, underscoring just how insidiously the climate crisis is affecting individual health and safety.
