White House 2030 Heat Wave, 2030 Climate Warning

Andrew Harrer, Pool/European Pressphoto Agency

Summer of 2030 heat wave could kill 11,000, White House says - "This isn't just about glaciers and polar bears, it’s about the health of our families and our kids," said Gina McCarthy, administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.

The report involved the work of more than 100 government scientists at eight federal agencies, and comes almost a year after President Obama convened the deans of 30 medical and public health schools in an effort to draw attention to the health impacts of climate change.

Heat-related deaths in the United States could rise by 11,000 in 2030, and by 27,000 in the year 2100, the report said.

Scientists expect a cumulative rise in average temperature of 3 or 4 degrees Celsius by 2030. But John Holdren, Obama's chief science adviser, noted that even small changes in average temperatures can ripple into even larger extremes.

Officials said the study was extensively peer-reviewed, and even looked at whether some of the effects of climate change would be offset. "Because of the science we have in this report and the modeling that was done, we can say that the increase in heat-related deaths far exceeds the decrease in cold related deaths. And we know that because of science," said U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy.

Some populations — children, the elderly, the poor and the mentally ill — will bear an increased health burden from climate change, the report said.