A Number That Never Makes the Front Page
Every time the thermometer rises in summer, the headlines come -
Heatwaves, heat death, climate crisis. And heat is a real problem for humans, let me just say that clearly.
But here is the distribution we are only very rarely presented with.
Globally, around 489,000 people die annually from heat.
From cold, approximately 4,600,000 die.
That's a ratio of over 9 to 1 - in cold's favour. (Lancet Planetary Health, data 2000-2019.)
And yes - heat death will probably rise a bit as the planet warms and the population ages. I readily grant that.
Both things are solved as prosperity allows us to establish better insulation, heating and air conditioning for the entire global population.
But two things remain - each of us has become less vulnerable to heat because we have become richer - and even with that increase, cold is still nearly ten times the bigger killer.
Yet the media coverage isn't skewed - it's total.
Heat gets EVERYTHING.
Cold gets zero.
And I'm not claiming heat is harmless.
I'm claiming that a debate which consistently mentions one half of the ledger and conceals the far larger other half is not about health.
It's about a narrative.
Everyone should ask themselves why.
Is it coincidental?
Anyways. Good week friends, enjoy the summer heat now that it's finally here. ☀️❤️🇩🇰
