Columbia Climate School: High Heat Is Preferentially Killing the Young, Not the Old, New Research Finds

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2. Yes, that is one of the suggested explanations

However, notice children under 5, especially infants.

The researchers say several factors may be at work. Young adults are more likely to be engaged in outdoor labor including farming and construction, and thus more exposed to dehydration and heat stroke. The same goes for indoor manufacturing in spaces that lack air conditioning. “These are the more junior people, low on the totem pole, who probably do the lion’s share of hard work, with inflexible work arrangements,” said Shrader. Young adults are also more likely to participate in strenuous outdoor sports, the researchers point out. A previous separate analysis by Mexican researchers showed that death certificates of working-age men were more likely to list extreme weather as a cause than those of other groups.