Transcript:Across the U.S., millions of people live in affordable housing, and many struggle to make ends meet. And as the climate warms, they’re increasingly exposed to extreme heat …Declet-Barreto: “ … and sometimes have to make a decision between putting food on the table or turning on the AC to a temperature that is … actually safe for people to be able to withstand the extreme heat we’re seeing.” In a recent report, Juan Declet-Barreto and his team at the Union of Concerned Scientists analyzed nearly 8 million affordable housing units across the U.S. They found that almost half are in counties that received at least 21 days of extreme heat alerts from the National Weather Service in 2024. Without adequate cooling, vulnerable groups – including children and the elderly – are at greater risk of heat-related illness and death.