Kai Chen

"Health losses attributed to anthropogenic climate change," a brief communication in the journal Nature Climate Change. There's a map showing regions of the world, and pie charts of relevant studies as they apply to different health impacts like "heat-related deaths" and "maternal and child health"

🚨 NEW: Climate change is already causing 30,000 deaths per year - a global annual economic loss of $100-350B USD - but the true damage is probably 10x higher. Out TODAY in Nature Climate Change: the first systematic look at the science of "health impact attribution" 🔓 www.nature.com/articles/s41...

#NIH is hanging by a thread. The #CDC has been decimated. #RFK Jr. and Russell #Vought are psychopaths--I don't say this frivolously--they are cold, calculating, inflicting violence on millions through public policy. It is where we are right now. These men are not normal. 1/

Something I wish more people understood: part of the point of shock-and-awe grant terminations at NIH and NSF has been to make scientists and university administrators afraid to speak out against the administration. And it's working. But, some of us were never going to get a grant from them anyway.

Two side-by-side maps of Canada highlighting the influence of climate change on early August 2025 heat. The left map shows temperature departures from normal, with widespread areas in central and eastern Canada 12–14°C above average (shaded in dark red). The right map shows Climate Shift Index (CSI) values, indicating that the extreme heat in these regions is strongly linked to climate change (CSI values of 3 to 5 shown in red). Data from ECMWF ERA5 and NOAA GFS.

Map highlighting the Southwestern U.S. and northern Mexico with Climate Shift Index (CSI) values for August 4–8, 2025. Deep red areas over Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and northern Mexico indicate CSI values of 5—the highest level—showing extreme heat that is almost entirely attributable to climate change. Lighter shades extend across surrounding regions. Source: Climate Central; analysis based on ECMWF ERA5 and NOAA GFS data.

🔴 #THISISCLIMATECHANGE

🔥 Wildfires in Canada—sending smoke into the Northeast U.S.—were fueled by extreme heat, 20°F+ above average for early August.

🌡️ Meanwhile, 53M people in the U.S. Southwest & Mexico are facing extreme heat that’s nearly impossible without climate change.
🧵/6

Researchers Are Resurrecting Billion-Dollar Disaster Tool Trump Killed Nonprofit Climate Central has hired the scientist behind a key database of costly weather disasters to rebuild it.

Scoop: The U.S. billion-dollar disaster database is set to return this fall over at @climatecentral.org. They've hired the former NOAA scientist who ran the project for 10+ years www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Wildfire smoke in New England, please stay safe!

Trump freezes $200 million in UCLA science and medical research funding, citing antisemitism The Trump administration has frozen roughly $200 million in National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health and other federal agency-funded research at UCLA, citing allegations the school d...

Suspension of all grants to UCLA www.latimes.com/california/s...

NSF and NIH suspend grants to UCLA Move follows Trump administration finding that school didn’t effectively combat antisemitism

The Trump administration is launching a new wave of attacks on universities, and UCLA is the latest target.

My reporting on how the university has been hit and how some of its scientists are responding:
www.science.org/content/arti...

Wildfire smoke and unhealthy air fills the Midwest before spreading to the East As has been the case much of the summer, the smoke invasion is targeting the Upper Midwest to Great Lakes. Beyond Thursday, smoke may impact more of the Northeast U.S. through and beyond Friday.

Wildfire smoke and unhealthy air fills the Midwest before spreading to the East

wapo.st/45f1ddo

In Game-Changing Climate Rollback, E.P.A. Aims to Kill a Bedrock Scientific Finding

In Game-Changing Climate Rollback, E.P.A. Aims to Kill a Bedrock Scientific Finding www.nytimes.com/2025/07/29/c...

One thing very few people know, even in the climate-health research space, is that - in addition to NIH / NSF / NASA / EPA blocking any new research on climate change and health - all the philanthropies have decided to take NGO-shaped roles rather than fund research, and so they aren't stepping in.

Disparities in NO2-related health burden prevalent across race-ethnicity and income groups in the United States Increasing evidence has linked long-term NO2 exposures to adverse health, while current research on the NO2-related health burden rarely assesses exposure and susceptibility disparities jointly. In th...

🎆NEW RESEARCH OUT
In our new study published in One Earth, we uncovered hard truths about NO2-related health disparities in the U.S. Racial-ethnic minorities were generally more exposed and susceptible. The most affected race-ethnicity group was location-specific.

In ‘blow to the environment,’ EPA begins to dismantle its research office Extensive layoffs could have wide-ranging impacts on conservation and human health

In ‘blow to the environment,’ EPA begins to dismantle its research office | Science | AAAS www.science.org/content/arti...

🔬 Using new deep learning + chem transport models, we reconstructed daily 1km NO₂ levels for 42 years.
📉 All groups saw declines, but widening relative gaps among racial groups persisted.
💡 Why care? Short-term NO₂ spikes = asthma/heart risks.
⚠️ Progress isn’t equal. Targeted interventions needed!

🚨 NEW STUDY: Despite falling CA air pollution 1980-2022, relative racial disparities in short-term NO₂ exposure worsened.
➡️ Hispanic/Latino communities faced 3X MORE high-pollution days (>50µg/m³) than White residents in 2020.
Paper: doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2024.134211

E.P.A. Says It Will Eliminate Its Scientific Research Arm

Well tonight’s Friday government news dump is horribly depressing- EPA to eliminate their entire research branch (ORD). I’ve been on ORD’s science advisory board the last few years and they do amazing work across climate, air, water and other issue. This sucks www.nytimes.com/2025/07/18/c...

Texas floodwaters can increase health risks that could last for months: Experts Floodwaters be contaminated with debris as well as high levels of bacteria, chemicals, waste and other pollutants, which can cause prolonged health risks, experts say.

Beyond just physical damage and lives lost, floodwaters can cause increased health risks including:
➡️ Diarrhea
➡️ Mold
➡️ Chronic conditions
➡️ Stress and mental health disorders
➡️ Disruption to health care services

Read more ⬇️
abcnews.go.com/Health/texas...

Storms Pummel New York City and Suburbs, Flooding Subway and Highways

www.nytimes.com/2025/07/14/w...

Texas Flood Live Updates: Death Toll Tops 100, Including 27 at a Girls’ Camp

NYTimes: Texas Flood Live Updates: Death Toll Tops 100, Including 27 at a Girls’ Camp www.nytimes.com/live/2025/07...

Not in this study, but working on it! Would love to chat if you are interested in potentially collaboration!

Devastating to see over 50 lives lost in Texas floods💔This tragedy reflects a broader pattern our Nature Communications study uncovered:~100 Texans died yearly from flooding—not just from drowning, but injuries, heart, and lung diseases.
@lingzhichu.bsky.social
📊 www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Methane-Tracking Satellite Is Lost, in a Blow to Climate Efforts

Methane-Tracking Satellite Is Lost, in a Blow to Climate Efforts www.nytimes.com/2025/07/02/c...

As US population level health data becomes ever-more unreliable … we are proud to unveil a new resource for families, policy makers, and healthcare providers @yalesph.bsky.social

Intense Heat Wave Will Leave the Midwest Sweltering This Weekend

Intense Heat Wave Will Leave the Midwest Sweltering This Weekend www.nytimes.com/2025/06/19/w...

Judge Young was appointed by President Ronald Reagan in 1984. Here he excoriates the Trump Administration's termination of grants at NIH. This is just the start of a process. But it is ground-breaking and good news for today.

Cutting the NIH—The $8 Trillion Health Care Catastrophe This JAMA Forum discusses the recent budget cuts to National Institutes of Health (NIH), the effects of these cuts on scientific research and health of individuals in the US, and the prospects for cha...

Over the next 25 years, if proposed cuts in NIH funding are made real, “In a population of more than 340 million, this reflects **82 million** fewer years of life.”

In the US alone.

jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...

EPA to propose rolling back climate rule for power plants Wednesday It marks an escalation in President Donald Trump's effort to purge climate initiatives from the federal government.

Today's the day when the US government officially throws in the towel on the climate fight. Which means the rest of us have to pick up the slack
www.politico.com/news/2025/06...

Smoke From Canadian Wildfires Approaches the Northeast

The National Weather Service issued air quality alerts for New York City for Wednesday and many of the surrounding suburbs, including those in New Jersey and most of southern Connecticut.

www.nytimes.com/2025/06/03/w...

David Cross Meets Prof Michael Oppenheimer in Climate Science Translated… | Climate Science Breakthrough | 11 comments Just dropped into the scorching-hot US climate culture wars: our latest "Climate Science Translated" film, starring David Cross and Prof Michael Oppenheimer! Our first batch of films did p...

I laughed. I cried, and cried some more. But then I called my members of Congress, Governor, state representatives, and County Executive to demand more climate action. I urge everyone to do the same. @mason4c.bsky.social @docsforclimate.bsky.social

www.linkedin.com/posts/climat...

We are Harvard researchers. Trump’s cuts are endangering lives The president’s funding cuts at the university will harm cancer patients, ALS sufferers and 800 babies and toddlers, academics warn

www.thetimes.com/us/american-...