There’s a new study that shows extreme heat heading our way in the near future.

CBS 2’s Jackie Kostek spoke with one climate scientist who said some of the changes we’re expecting to see over the next 20, 30, 50 years are enough to make Chicago feel like Texas.

And that has real-life consequences on everything from personal health to infrastructure.

In Chicago, it’s been a mostly comfortable summer. But a new study published by the non-profit research and tech group First Street Foundation shows an emerging “extreme heat belt” – about a quarter of the country that is, by 2053, expected to experience temperatures exceeding 125 degrees…

Amir Jina, an economist and climate scientist and assistant professor at the University of Chicago, said at the individual level, extreme temperatures can lead to heat-related illness and exacerbate pre-existing health conditions.

Not to mention raise energy costs.

“It’s the people who are living in poverty, less well-off, who really bear those burdens, because a lot of the ways we have to deal with this. Stay indoors, work from home, that kind of stuff. If you’re not able to do that, you’re forced to be exposed more,” Jina said.

Continue reading at CBS 2 Chicago…

Areas of Focus: Climate Change
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Climate Change
Climate change is an urgent global challenge. EPIC research is helping to assess its impacts, quantify its costs, and identify an efficient set of policies to reduce emissions and adapt...
Climate Economics
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Climate Economics
Climate change will affect every sector of the economy, both locally and globally. EPIC research is quantifying these effects to help guide policymakers, businesses, and individuals working to mitigate and...
Climate Science
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Climate Science
EPIC’s interdisciplinary team of researchers is contributing to a cross-cutting body of knowledge on the scientific causes of climate change and its social consequences.