Biden Announces Effort To Protect Americans From Extreme Heat

WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 20th September, 2021) US President Joe Biden in a statement on Monday announced a new interagency effort to protect Americans from consequences of extreme heat after a record hot summer across the country.

"Today, I am mobilizing an all-of-government effort to protect workers, children, seniors, and at-risk communities from extreme heat," the statement said. "The Department of Labor, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Environmental Protection Agency, and other agencies will work together to help ensure that the American people have safe and healthy working conditions, provide cooling assistance to homes and neighborhoods, and coordinate with state and local officials to bolster their resilience and address the impacts of this threat."

In the statement, Biden named extreme heat resulting from climate change as the main "weather-related killer" in the United States posing threat to millions of Americans.

The US President noted that extreme weather conditions this year will cost more than in the previous year when the total damage reached nearly $100 billion.

Last week, Biden called for action following the publication of the United Nations' report on climate which he considered to be a "code red" for humanity.

The average temperature for the contiguous 48 US states for June, July and August set a new record of 74 degrees Fahrenheit, 2.6 degrees above average, making the summer of 2021 the hottest one since 1936, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's report earlier in September.