Opinion: Climate change impacts are more subtle than often perceived

As climate change continues its relentless march, its subtle and often overlooked impacts, such as the insidious rise in daily temperatures, are quietly wreaking havoc on public health, productivity, and societal stability.

R. Jisung Park writes for The New York Times.

In short:

• The true devastation of climate change includes not only extreme events but also the slow, pervasive damages like daily heat effects on health and productivity.
• Heat affects various aspects of society including workplace safety, cognitive function, and local crime rates.
• Heat exacerbates inequalities in health and academic achievements, disproportionately impacting communities with less access to resources like air-conditioning.

Key quote:

"We estimate that hotter temperatures may already be responsible for 5 percent of racial academic achievement gaps."

— R. Jisung Park, environmental and labor economist and assistant professor at the University of Pennsylvania

Why this matters:

While the dramatic impacts of climate change, like extreme weather events and melting ice caps, often grab the headlines, it's the subtle, less conspicuous effects that can quietly reshape our world in profound ways.

Heat is estimated as the number one weather-related killer in the U.S.