Climate change threatens New York with overheating and about 3,331 deaths every year by 2080. It is estimated that if enough measures are not taken, the number of hot days by 2080 will go up three times, leading to death due to "respiratory conditions, heart problems, dehydration and heat exhaustion."
Elisaveta Petkova, a lead author, feels that as the temperatures will remain above 32 degrees Celsius, New York would be reeling in the heat, especially under the extreme heat events due to climate change, writes Reuters. As it is likely to affect the elderly and the young, heat strokes will probably lead to the decimation of a number of people.
Petkova said that a heat wave in Europe in 2003 killed thousands of lives, while the National Center for Health Statistics said that between 2000 and 2006, New York underwent 600 heat-related deaths every year.
Heat waves have become quite common in the US even in recent times, according to the 2014 National Climate Assessment.
The New York's Panel on Climate Change projections explained that New York's mean annual temperatures will rise by 2.9 to 4.9 degrees Celsius by the 2080s. The various heat-related disease symptoms include "nausea, vomiting, and of course, intense sweating."
Director of the Columbia Center for Children's Environmental Health at the Mailman School of Public Health, Frederica Perera said: "We now know a great deal about the harm from the emissions from fossil fuels. We know a great deal about how to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels."
The study also examined gas emissions, cooling measures such as air conditioning and population increases. The study was conducted by researchers from Columbia University, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and Cornell University.
Petkova adds that the new study "just highlighted how important it is to take proactive measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions."
The study was published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives.
