How we're counting climate change’s death toll

Plus, what Colombia can teach U.S. cities about managing migration.

View this email online by Suzanne Nuyen June 23, 2024 Good morning. This week, a flashy NYC pastor was sentenced to nine years for fraud, a Washington, D.C. woman realized what she thought was a reproduction of a Mayan vase was the real deal, and Justin Timberlake was arrested for driving while intoxicated in the Hamptons. Best of NPR Climate change can be deadly. It makes all sorts of weather more extreme and can increase the prevalence of diseases. Just this week, New England experienced a record-breaking heat wave. And forecasters have predicted a brutal 2024 hurricane season.  Arden S. Barnes/The Washington Post via Getty Images So is it possible to know how many people have died because of climate change? NPR's special series, “The Undercount: The invisible death toll from climate change,” aims to answer this question. When climate and health reporter Alejandra Borunda asked doctors what important topics she should focus on, she heard the same thing over and over: Climate change is hurting a lot of people, but we aren't doing a good job of keeping track of how many. "We're undercounting the damage by an enormous amount," Borunda says.  "The Undercount" highlights people who are making efforts to count these deaths — people like George Hess, a medical examiner based in Arizona who is working on innovative new protocols to investigate heat-related deaths. Borunda says these efforts aren't just an "academic exercise." By understanding the scope of the problem, she says, "we can help people better understand the specific steps needed to protect people."  Alongside these researchers, NPR is also giving space to people who have lost loved ones to climate worsened disasters to tell their stories. These "climate remembrances” include stories like Mandy Messinger's. When Hurricane Ida hit Louisiana in 2021, the waters didn't stay in Louisiana. Bands of rain moved north. The floods caught Messinger's father as he was driving home in Philadelphia. He drowned in his car.  "Many of these deaths were avoidable," Borunda says. "All have real, devastating impacts on the lives of their loved ones left behind."  Borunda hopes that this series will help readers realize that climate change has real, human costs, and it's not just theoretical. Still, readers shouldn't get discouraged by these stories. "I have been endlessly heartened by meeting dozens of passionate, smart, empathic people who have dedicated themselves to mitigating the harms." she says. "It takes seeing a problem clearly to come up with good solutions. This may sound too ambitious, but we hope this work will eventually help save people's lives." Newsletter continues after sponsor message The Week That Was Narayan Mahon for NPR/NPR Amber and Devin Weise met online in a social media group for Christian singles. They didn't realize that when they got married, Amber would lose the monthly income check and health care she relied upon. She's one of 7.4 million people who depend on Supplemental Security Income, a federal program that's meant to help disabled and older people. But to qualify for SSI, recipients must keep their savings and assets under $3,000 — something few couples can do. An NPR investigation reveals that this decades-old rule has left many disabled people suffering from a "marriage penalty." Depending on when you open this newsletter, the Sunday scaries may be creeping in ahead of the work week. A great way to beat them is to make sure you're well-rested each day. And a good night's sleep can actually start the moment you wake up — if you practice a few good habits and routines. You can get some of those starting tomorrow by signing up for  Life Kit's “Guide to Better Sleep” newsletter series. You'll get three emails over the course of the week with practical advice to improve the quality of your sleep. I'll be putting these tips to the test, and I'll share what worked best at the end of the series. Will you join me and subscribe? Niki Capaci's family says that despite her faults, she was, first and foremost, a mother and protector. They've felt adrift and been left with many unanswered questions since she died last year at 40 while incarcerated at Orange County Jail in Goshen, New York. They're suing the jail, alleging that its medical provider, Wellpath, failed to treat her for opioid withdrawal. Capaci's case highlights challenges the U.S. faces when caring for jailed people with addictions.  Chicago has struggled to care for migrants who arrived from the border for the past two years. About 30,000 of them are from Venezuela, where the economy has collapsed. As vast as that number is, it hardly compares to the amount of Venezuelans who have immigrated to neighboring Colombia in the past decade. More than 600,000 have traveled to the capital city, Bogotá. WBEZ's Chip Mitchell and Anthony Vazquez traveled to two cities in Colombia last spring to document how the country has handled their arrival. Through interviews with migrants, public officials, humanitarian leaders and scholars, they learned what Colombia could teach Chicago and other U.S. cities about managing future large arrivals. Support your local station with NPR+ NPR+ is a great new way to support mission-driven journalism while getting something great in return (aside from that warm fuzzy feeling of making a difference). Enjoy Sponsor-free listening from your favorite NPR podcasts, and even get fun bonus episodes from select shows like Fresh Air, Planet Money, Wait Wait Don't Tell Me! And more. All in return for a simple recurring donation to your local station. Get NPR+ Podcast Picks  Hulton Archive/Getty Images In the NOCO, from KUNC: Explore the big stories of the day about the communities along the Colorado Rocky Mountains and hear about what makes this state such an incredible place to live. 🎧 Whether you're a first-time gardener or you live in a space with little room for plants, starting small can be beneficial when cultivating your green thumb. Producer Natalie Skowlund gives us a guide to gardening for novices. Throughline: Jump in the Throughline time machine and travel beyond the headlines to bring history to life. From ancient civilizations to forgotten figures, take a second look at the moments that shaped our world to answer the question: "How did we get here?" 🎧 Since Oct. 7, Zionism has been on a lot of people's minds. It's been used to support Israel's war in Gaza and justify why Israel must be protected. Others have used it to describe what they view as Israel's collective punishment of Palestinians in Gaza. In this episode, we go back to the late 19th century to meet the people who organized the modern Zionist movement. If this Hall Could Talk, from WNYC: Witness culture in America through New York City's iconic Carnegie Hall. Voices ranging from marquee talent to historical experts will take you on a journey that is guaranteed to leave you with a newfound appreciation for the breadth, diversity, and endless invention of this country's musical arts and culture. 🎧 On this episode, listen to a momentous 1961 Carnegie Hall tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Hear about the roles that the Rat Pack and many other artists played in supporting Dr. King and his Southern Christian Leadership Conference at a pivotal moment of growth for the organization and the Civil Rights Movement. Listen to your local NPR station. 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