Deadly heat is killing Americans: climate death toll rises after a decade of federal inaction

Heat now causes more deaths than hurricanes, tornadoes or floods in most years, creating a new public health threat. An investigation reveals why the CDC's prevention efforts have faltered

This story is co-published with Columbia Journalism Investigations, the Center for Public Integrity and Covering Climate Now. Read the full investigation here.

Charlie Rhodes lived alone on a tree-sparse street with sunburned lawns just outside Phoenix, Arizona. At 61, the army veteran's main connection to the world was Facebook; often, he posted several times a day. But as a heatwave blanketed the region in June 2016 - leading to temperatures among the highest ever recorded - his posts stopped. Three weeks later, a pile of unopened mail outside his door prompted a call to police.