The ongoing climate crisis is increasingly jeopardizing the medical blood supply in the United States, as this summer’s unprecedented heat has exacerbated an emergency blood shortage, warns the American Red Cross.
July’s extreme heat, which saw over 130 million Americans under heat advisories, has critically impacted blood donation efforts nationwide.
The Red Cross reports that nearly 100 of its blood drives were disrupted due to the scorching weather, contributing to a significant shortfall of more than 19,000 blood donations.
The organization’s national blood inventory fell by over 25%, while the demand for lifesaving blood products in hospitals remained unchanged.
Rodney Wilson, Senior Biomedical Communications Specialist for the American Red Cross, highlighted the severity of the situation: “That’s a very fast drop in just about a month, and that limits our ability to meet hospital requests for blood.” The shortage has led to the Red Cross having to restrict the distribution of certain key blood types.
Hurricane Debby and wildfires further strain the nation’s already critical blood shortageThe challenges this summer were compounded by other factors, including typical seasonal hurdles like summer travel. The cancellation rate of blood drives due to heat and extreme weather conditions was notably higher than in previous years.
American Blood Centers, which manages over 600 blood collection sites across the US, described the current blood supply as “strained” and “trending downward at concerning levels.” The organization noted that many blood collection agencies are grappling with critical shortages.
Recent reports underscore the worsening impact of climate change, with the US warming faster than the global average and experiencing increasingly severe weather events.
Early August brought additional challenges when Hurricane Debby caused widespread flooding, power outages, and travel disruptions, leading to further cancellations of blood drives. Concurrently, wildfires in the West have also hindered donation efforts.
Since August began, 60 blood drives have been canceled due to extreme weather, resulting in the loss of approximately 1,500 potential donations.
In response, the American Red Cross has been working to ensure hospitals are stocked with blood products and providing disaster relief to affected communities. The organization has even started offering incentives like Amazon gift cards to encourage donations.
The American Red Cross, which supplies around 40% of the nation’s blood, faces an increasing number of climate-driven disasters year-round. With schools closed during summer, a critical source of blood donations has been lost.
Wilson emphasizes the importance of blood donations, noting, “Every two seconds, someone in the US needs a blood transfusion.” As modern medicine relies heavily on blood products, the urgency for donors has never been greater.