Extreme Heat and Student Health - Jared Geiser

Chico is known for its hot summers but they are increasingly getting hotter. Human-caused climate change is altering weather patterns across the globe and average temperatures in Chico are rising. Cal-Adapt shows that the historical average temperature in Chico is 75.1 degrees fahrenheit and the projected average temperature in 2037 will be 78.9-79.3 degree fahrenheit. Extreme heat days are projected to increase fivefold by 2037 compared to the historical average of four a year, and the increase will have negative physical health impacts as well as negative mental health impacts.
The increase in temperatures that will come with climate change will negatively impact the students of CSU Chico and the programs they participate in. Health impacts from extreme heat include increased occurrence of heat-related illnesses such as nausea, dehydration, heat stroke. There is substantial research demonstrating that extreme heat waves cause deaths in the United States (Li et al. 2012). The people whose bodies are acclimated to more temperate are more susceptible to heat-related illnesses and premature death caused by extreme heat (Parsons 2005). Since many Chico State students come from the Bay Area and other regions with temperate climates, a significant portion of the student population will be vulnerable to the health impacts of extreme heat when they come to Chico at the end of summer. Mental health impacts from extreme heat may be more latent but prevalent nonetheless; these could include acute stress disorder, depression, decreased social stability and lack of community cohesion (Trombley et al. 2017).
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Parsons, Ken. 2005. "Inviting a Fevered Response." The Safety & Health Practitioner 23 (2) (02): 38-41.

Trombley, J., Chalupka, S., & Anderko, L. (2017). Climate Change and Mental Health. AJN, American Journal of Nursing, 117(4), 44-52.