Extreme Heat: Maricopa County & Southern Arizona Release Data

Southern Arizona hosted an Extreme Heat Summit on February 1^st and has released a report from the event. Key takeaways include strengthening community resilience by increasing accessible cooling sites and transportation to those centers; expanding public health responses, such as messaging to educate communities about risks and available resources; enhancing workforce heat protection to improve outdoor workplace safety; expanding weatherization programs and reinforcing energy infrastructure; and increasing investments in sustainable infrastructure, along with coordination and policy initiatives that address Arizona’s unique climate challenges.

The Maricopa County Department of Public Health has released preliminary data from 2024, revealing 602 heat-related deaths that occurred in 2024, 43 fewer than in 2023. Eight other deaths remain under investigation. Sixty-one percent of all heat-related deaths were directly caused by environmental heat, meaning that heat was the primary cause of death in these cases rather than just a contributing factor. More than half of all heat-related deaths involved individuals aged 35 to 64 years, and 79% were among males. Outdoor conditions continue to account for most heat-related deaths, making up 77%, while 23% occurred indoors. Of those indoor deaths, an air-conditioning unit was present in 88% of the cases, but it was not functioning in 70% and was not in use in 18%. In Maricopa County, individuals experiencing homelessness represented the largest share of heat-related deaths in 2024, compared to any other living situation, at 50%.

Action Alert

Clean energy delivers massive benefits, from good-paying jobs to lower pollution risks and lower energy prices. The American people overwhelmingly support clean energy.  Clean energy investments are being offered to communities nationwide, and defunding clean energy will increase pollution and put people out of work. The cost of obstructing clean energy progress is too high: from slower job growth and lost economic benefits to volatile energy prices and increasingly damaging and expensive extreme weather disasters. Sign on to a letter to Congress, supporting ongoing support of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) clean energy investments and incentives.

                                                                        Sign Here

What We Are Reading & Listening to Now

• Let’s protect Arizona’s supercharged EV industry (AZ Capitol Times)
• Local opinion: How EVs and clean energy can save lives (AZ Daily Star)
• Bill would block wind energy projects across 90% of AZ (azcentral)
• AZ Senate passes bill that attempts to prevent CA-style blackouts (Prescott eNews)
• AZ bill ignores climate change, blames poor air quality on other countries (The Copper Courier)
• Bad air days: Phoenix-area smog is getting worse, but AZ GOP lawmakers want Trump to block EPA ozone rules (Cronkite News)
• Climate Backtracker (Columbia Law School)
• Sneezing Season is Getting Worse (K. Hayhoe Substack)
• Study on tap water affordability [Horizon Interview], Report, and Webinar (Kyler Center for Water Policy)

Join Us: Webinars & Events

• March 18^th: 5:30 pm Monthly meeting AzNA Climate Change & Health Workgroup Zoom
• April 9^th: 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm (MST): Climate Change and Farming: Worker Protections and Community Resiliency Register
• April 15^th – April 17^th, 12:00 pm – 4:00 pm (ET): Save the Date.The 4^th Annual National Integrated Heat Health Information System (NIHHIS) Meeting. Virtual sessions are free to attend.Update: 2/24: Website states meeting postponed.
• April 22^nd Earth Day
• May 5^th – 9^th Arizona Heat Preparedness Week
• May 21^st: 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm (MST): Impacts of Heat on Vulnerable Populations Register

   

  Recordings

• March 6^th: Tap Water Affordability in Arizona Recording
• February 5^th: Region 9 Pacific Southwest Center for Emergency Public Health: Heat Surveillance, Preparedness Strategies and Community Response Webinar featuring LA County and Maricopa County Recording
• Recording: Webinar with author and Pediatrician Debra Hendrickson on her new book The Air They Breathe: A Pediatrician on the Front Lines of Climate Change. Recording.
• Recording from December 10^th’s webinar: Perspectives on Plastic Lifecycle Series: Plastics Use and Demand Recording.
• Recording from December 11^th’s webinar:A panel discussion on Extreme Weather in Arizona Recording.
• Recording from 3^rd Annual National Integrated Heat Health Information System (NIHHIS) National Meeting 2024 Here

Thank you for joining us in making a healthier planet today!

Where Did Billions in Climate and Infrastructure Funding Go?

Look no further than this interactive map on Grist.org to learn about clean energy projects to bridges. This tool shows what projects lawmakers announced in your neighborhood.  Arizona has thousands of projects listed on the map. Add your zip code in the search location box to see a list of funded projects. Some are completed, some are underway, and others have been announced but not started. The current administration recently froze the funding for these.

In the past few years, lawmakers have announced nearly $700 billion in funding for infrastructure and climate-related projects under two bills passed during the Biden administration, the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL). 

The Climate Power research team recently created a resource titled ‘Cuts to Clean Energy Threaten Arizona’s Economy’ highlighting how clean energy expansion saves Arizonans money. Below are some key points. Read the full document here.

• Since the passage of the IRA, new clean energy projects have spurred $12.75 billion in investment and helped create 18,703 new clean energy jobs in the Copper State.
• Arizonaproduces 2.8 times as much solar and wind energy as it did in 2014.
• Under the Inflation Reduction Act, Arizonareceived over $153 million for consumer home energy rebate programs.
• In 2023, more than 88,000 Arizona familiesbenefited from more than $285 million in tax credits to lower the costs of clean energy and energy efficiency upgrades to their homes. 

What We Are Reading & Listening to Now

• Federal hiring freeze could worsen wildfire season in Arizona (azcentral)
• Nearly everyone in the world breathes bad air. This is what you can do to lower your risk (AP)
• Op-Ed: A threat to Arizona public health (Arizona Daily Star)
• ‘C’ is for Climate: How the force that built Arizona’s ‘sunshiny’ frontier turned deadly (azcentral)
• Boiling Point: Want to fight climate change? Then talk about climate change (LATimes)
• BP to ramp up oil and gas output in major shift away from green goals (theguardian.com)
• An EPA Rule Will Reduce Lead in Drinking Water – Unless This Effort to Block It Succeeds (Inside Climate News)
• Clean Energy Boom – Arizona’s list of projects and jobs created under the IRA and BIL. (ClimatePower)

Join Us: Webinars & Events

• March 12^th: 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm (MST): Achieving Energy Independence in a Healthcare Setting Register
• April 9^th: 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm (MST): Climate Change and Farming: Worker Protections and Community Resiliency Register
• April 15^th – April 17^th, 12:00 pm – 4:00 pm (ET): Save the Date.The 4^th Annual National Integrated Heat Health Information System (NIHHIS) Meeting. Virtual sessions are free to attend.Update: 2/24: Website states meeting postponed.
• April 22^nd Earth Day
• May 5^th – 9^th Arizona Heat Preparedness Week
• May 21^st: 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm (MST): Impacts of Heat on Vulnerable Populations Register

   

  Recordings

• February 5^th: Region 9 Pacific Southwest Center for Emergency Public Health: Heat Surveillance, Preparedness Strategies and Community Response Webinar featuring LA County and Maricopa County Recording
• Recording: Webinar with author and Pediatrician Debra Hendrickson on her new book The Air They Breathe: A Pediatrician on the Front Lines of Climate Change. Recording.
• Recording from December 10^th’s webinar: Perspectives on Plastic Lifecycle Series: Plastics Use and Demand Recording.
• Recording from December 11^th’s webinar:A panel discussion on Extreme Weather in Arizona Recording.
• Recording from 3^rd Annual National Integrated Heat Health Information System (NIHHIS) National Meeting 2024 Here

Thank you for joining us in making a healthier planet today!

Natural Organic Reduction: An Ecological Alternative to

Cremation and Burial

In the January issue of the Arizona Nurse, AzNA Climate Change and Health Workgroup member Dr. David Hrabe, introduces us to a new option for disposing human remains called Natural Organic Reduction. The state of Arizona has legalized this method of disposition and you can read more about it from a nurse’s perspective at this site.

What We Are Reading & Listening to Now

• Trump spending slash could put Colorado River conservation in ‘world of hurt’ (AZ Daily Star)
• New Administration’s orders on climate and environment could hurt AZ’s economy (azcentral)
• AZ says GlaxoSmithKline’s greed endangered kids with asthma (azcentral)
• AZ Utilities exploring adding another nuclear power plant (12 News)
• Rural Arizona’s Watershed Moment (Water Agenda)
• Do US states with more renewable energy have more expensive electricity? (Hannah Ritchie Substack)
• Social and environmental determinants of health inequities in childhood asthma (The Lancet)
• Experts Urge Those with Asthma to Take Extra Care from Wildfire Risks to Lungs (Allergist)
• Half a degree rise in global warming will triple area of Earth too hot for humans (PreventionWeb)

Join Us: Webinars & Events

• February 19^th: 12:00 pm: Health Center Preparedness & Response Forum: Extreme Heat Virtual Register
• February 19^th: 12:15pm (ET) Incorporating Sustainable Food Practices Register
• March 1 – 4^th, 2025: Our Planet, Our Health 2025 Climate Action Convention Washington DC Register
• March 12^th: 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm (MST): Achieving Energy Independence in a Healthcare Setting Register
• April 9^th: 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm (MST): Climate Change and Farming: Worker Protections and Community Resiliency Register
• April 15^th – April 17^th, 12:00 pm – 4:00 pm (ET): Save the Date.The 4^th Annual National Integrated Heat Health Information System (NIHHIS) Meeting. Virtual sessions are free to attend.
• April 22^nd Earth Day
• May 5^th – 9^th Arizona Heat Preparedness Week
• May 21^st: 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm (MST): Impacts of Heat on Vulnerable Populations Register

   

  Recordings

• February 5^th: Region 9 Pacific Southwest Center for Emergency Public Health: Heat Surveillance, Preparedness Strategies and Community Response Webinar featuring LA County and Maricopa County Recording
• Recording: Webinar with author and Pediatrician Debra Hendrickson on her new book The Air They Breathe: A Pediatrician on the Front Lines of Climate Change. Recording.
• Recording from December 10^th’s webinar: Perspectives on Plastic Lifecycle Series: Plastics Use and Demand Recording.
• Recording from December 11^th’s webinar:A panel discussion on Extreme Weather in Arizona Recording.
• Recording from 3^rd Annual National Integrated Heat Health Information System (NIHHIS) National Meeting 2024 Here

Thank you for joining us in making a healthier planet today!

New Resource for Arizona: The Water Agenda

We are sharing a new publication that started this month, the Water Agenda.  Like the Arizona Agenda and the Tucson Agenda, this publication is an online resource available on Substack at no cost, though you can subscribe and support their work. Most of us have heard about the lengthy drought most of Arizona is facing, and what that means for water availability can be confusing and concerning. This new weekly publication aims to unpack water policy and provide facts about Arizona's water system, covering the plans and solutions available to conserve and use water wisely.  This first issue jumps right into the deep end with an overview of groundwater. We’ll track this resource and the water discussion at the capitol, sharing updates along the way. If you are interested in helping us track and educate nurses on this critical issue, let us know at azcchworkgroup@gmail.com.

What We Are Reading & Listening to Now

• No timeline in sight for Interstate 11 construction in AZ (Axios)
• How the changing climate is impacting your breathing and what you can do about it (Forbes)
• About Building Resilience Against Climate Effects (BRACE) Framework (CDC)
• Be Un-Revolutionary: A nurse’s proposal to be healthy and protect the planet too (YouTube)
• The Medical Society Consortium on Climate & Health Monthly Newsletter
• AZ Climate (Jan 28 Issue-Arizona Republic)

Join Us: Webinars & Events

• February 4^th: 12:15 pm (ET) Clinicians Leading System-Wide Environmental Sustainability Transformation Register
• February 5^th: 1:00 pm (AZ) Schools, Health Systems, and the Inflation Reduction Act Register
• February 12^th: 8:30 am – 2:00 pm Sierra Club Environmental Day at the Capitol. Learn more about the day and register here.
• February 12^th: 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm (MST): Youth Climate Action Register
• February 19^th: 12:00 pm: Health Center Preparedness & Response Forum: Extreme Heat Virtual Register
• February 19^th: 12:15pm (ET) Incorporating Sustainable Food Practices Register
• March 1 – 4^th, 2025: Our Planet, Our Health 2025 Climate Action Convention Washington DC Register
• March 12^th: 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm (MST): Achieving Energy Independence in a Healthcare Setting Register
• April 9^th: 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm (MST): Climate Change and Farming: Worker Protections and Community Resiliency Register
• April 15^th – April 17^th, 12:00 pm – 4:00 pm (ET): Save the Date.The 4^th Annual National Integrated Heat Health Information System (NIHHIS) Meeting. Virtual sessions are free to attend.
• April 22^nd Earth Day
• May 21^st: 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm (MST): Impacts of Heat on Vulnerable Populations Register

   

  Recordings

• Recording: Webinar with author and Pediatrician Debra Hendrickson on her new book The Air They Breathe: A Pediatrician on the Front Lines of Climate Change. Recording.
• Recording from December 10^th’s webinar: Perspectives on Plastic Lifecycle Series: Plastics Use and Demand Recording.
• Recording from December 11^th’s webinar:A panel discussion on Extreme Weather in Arizona Recording.
• Recording from 3^rd Annual National Integrated Heat Health Information System (NIHHIS) National Meeting 2024 Here

Thank you for joining us in making a healthier planet today!

The Impact of Climate Change Across the Cancer Control Continuum: Key Considerations for Oncology Nurses

The Oncology Nursing Society (ONS)  has recently published a multipage white paper about the crossroads between climate change and cancer and the oncology nurse role. This pivotal ONS comprehensive document features the effects of climate change as intrinsically linked to cancer care outcomes. From the executive summary and LinkedIn posts from several lead authors, oncology nurse scientists are equipped to spearhead the drive to new knowledge and contribute to multifaceted solutions, while clinical care nurses can play a crucial role in assisting their healthcare system to become carbon neutral.  The AzNA Climate Change and Health Workgroup welcomes this news, is eager to help, and is very interested in oncology nurses joining us in our efforts to address climate change while mitigating and minimizing health impact.

What We Are Reading & Listening to Now

• You just lived through the hottest year on record. Again. (WashPost)
• Dr. Andrew Arthur, El Rio Community Health Center (Tucson) Interview about Asthma (KXCI)
• Novel test can detect different types of asthma via nasal swab (NBC)
• Hidden dangers: The cancer risks of environmental injustice (UM School of PH)
• New review highlights human health risks from microplastic exposure (NRDC-expert blog)
• The Changing Climate is a Health Crisis: A Call to Action for Human Well-being (Forbes)

Join Us: Webinars & Events

• January 21^st: 5:30 pm – 6:30 pm (AZ) Save the Date. AzNA Climate Change and Health Workgroup meetingJoin Meeting
• January 22^nd: 10:00 am – 1:00 pm (AZ) Climate for Health Ambassador Training co-hosted by APHA and Climate for Health Register for this free training designed for nurses and other health care professionals.
• January 30^th: 10:00 am – 11:00 am (AZ) Webinar: Environmental Health During Preconception and Pregnancy – Opportunities for Prevention Register
• February 1^st: 9:00 am – 5:00 pm 2025 Southern Arizona Heat Summit in Tucson Register
• F
• February 4^th: 12:15 pm (ET) Clinicians Leading System-Wide Environmental Sustainability Transformation Register
• February 12^th: 8:30 am – 2:00 pm Sierra Club Environmental Day at the Capitol. Learn more about the day and register here.
• February 12^th: 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm (MST): Youth Climate Action Register
• February 19^th: 12:00 pm: Health Center Preparedness & Response Forum: Extreme Heat Virtual Register
• March 1 – 4^th, 2025: Our Planet, Our Health 2025 Climate Action Convention Washington DC Register
• March 12^th: 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm (MST): Achieving Energy Independence in a Healthcare Setting Register
• April 9^th: 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm (MST): Climate Change and Farming: Worker Protections and Community Resiliency Register
• April 15^th – April 17^th, 12:00 pm – 4:00 pm (ET): Save the Date.The 4^th Annual National Integrated Heat Health Information System (NIHHIS) Meeting. Virtual sessions are free to attend.
• April 22^nd Earth Day
• May 21^st: 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm (MST): Impacts of Heat on Vulnerable Populations Register

   

  Recordings

• Recording: Webinar with author and Pediatrician Debra Hendrickson on her new book The Air They Breathe: A Pediatrician on the Front Lines of Climate Change. Recording.
• Recording from December 10^th’s webinar: Perspectives on Plastic Lifecycle Series: Plastics Use and Demand Recording.
• Recording from December 11^th’s webinar:A panel discussion on Extreme Weather in Arizona Recording.
• Recording from 3^rd Annual National Integrated Heat Health Information System (NIHHIS) National Meeting 2024 Here

Thank you for joining us in making a healthier planet today!