Transcript:
Across the U.S., millions of people live in affordable housing, and many struggle to make ends meet.
And as the climate warms, they’re increasingly exposed to extreme heat …
Declet-Barreto: “ … and sometimes have to make a decision between putting food on the table or turning on the AC to a temperature that is … actually safe for people to be able to withstand the extreme heat we’re seeing.”
In a recent report, Juan Declet-Barreto and his team at the Union of Concerned Scientists analyzed nearly 8 million affordable housing units across the U.S.
They found that almost half are in counties that received at least 21 days of extreme heat alerts from the National Weather Service in 2024.
Declet-Barreto: “Many of these homes are already homes that are energy inefficient, that do not have air conditioning units, or the folks that live there do not have the ability to easily pay for the bill.”
Without adequate cooling, vulnerable groups – including children and the elderly – are at greater risk of heat-related illness and death.
So Declet-Barreto’s team recommends policies that tackle affordability and extreme heat together – for example, ensuring that low-income people can access weatherization and energy bill assistance – to help vulnerable people stay safe as temperatures rise.
Reporting credit: Sarah Kennedy / ChavoBart Digital Media
