Did Scientists Just Figure Out Why People Die A DECADE Earlier in the Southeast US?

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People living in the Southeastern United States die about a decade earlier on average than other Americans. At first glance, natural disasters don’t seem to explain it. Data even suggests that global disaster deaths are going down. But new research reveals a hidden toll that’s been overlooked for decades. And it uncovers what exactly is causing millions of “invisible deaths” in the Southeast.

Rachel Young and Solomon Hsiang Paper: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-024-07945-5

Life Expectancy Map: https://americaninequality.substack.com/p/life-expectancy-and-inequality

Images of 1931 Chinese Floods provided courtesy of the Missionary Society of St. Columban.

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From:
Date: September 18, 2025
Science climate change climate change deaths climate disasters climate justice debarati guha sapir environmental justice health inequality heat deaths hidden deaths hurricane deaths hurricane mortality indirect deaths indirect disaster deaths life expectancy maiya may pbs terra southeast life expectancy gap southeast united states weathered why people die earlier wildfire smoke deaths

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26 thoughts on “Did Scientists Just Figure Out Why People Die A DECADE Earlier in the Southeast US?”

  1. I'm not buying it. Especially when you look at that map and WV and especially Eastern KY is represented about as hard as Mississippi. That's not exactly hurricane country. It's not even tornado country. It is the land of poverty and disdain for education though. Also note those blue spots, such as the county in AR where Walmart is seated. Or the counties in GA that belong to Atlanta. Or just the fact that FL has such a high age at death and it's the king of hurricane country. My take on it is this is a combo of poverty, heat, and education doing a triple whammy on the SE. Someone further down in the comments mentions cancer from environmental degradation… due to lack of regulations, another result of lack of education.

  3. This person needs a lesson in geography. The southeast is north carolina, virginia, south carolina, florida and georgia. Places like north carolina and virginia have a lot of blue areas where life expectancy is not reduced. The area where life expectancy is reduced is called the deep south. It spans from georgia westward to texas up to tennessee and arkansas.

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