Degrees of Vulnerability: An Exploration of the Health Impacts Associated With Both Hot and Cold Temperatures in a Warming World

Abstract

This thesis aims to explore the relationship between extreme heat and cold events and mortality rates to better understand public health vulnerabilities in the context of climate change and the rising of global average temperatures. Using a combination of data modeling and analysis with ethnographic research in the form of interviews, this study investigates both quantitative patterns and qualitative experiences related to temperature extremes. Using the programming language Python to plot excess mortality during heatwaves and cold spells in continental Europe, it was observed that more people died during a recent cold event than a recent heat event. However, this finding seems to contradict the current climate narrative, which often portrays heat as the more immediate and impactful weather-related health risk. This discrepancy ultimately served as the motivation for this research, inspiring the investigation into medical professionals’ perspectives and experiences with heat and cold extremes and their associated health impacts. Interviews with healthcare providers revealed that both heat and cold are dangerous in the appropriate contexts, with factors like local climate, population vulnerability, and infrastructure influencing how the temperature extremes manifest in terms of health risks. This research emphasizes the need for a more comprehensive approach to public health– one that addresses both heat and cold vulnerabilities, and which adapts to the evolving challenges of a changing climate.