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 lobal climate change may exacerbate health risks for
the elderly, the infirm, and the poor although there is substantial
capacity to reduce these risks according to a new report commissioned
by the Pew Center on Global Climate Change. And while the study
finds that over the next few decades the United States may have
sufficient resources to prevent the worst possibilities, poorer
countries may not fare as well.
 While
current health concerns in the United States tend to revolve
around such lifestyle issues as alcohol and tobacco use, lack
of exercise, and poor nutrition, climate change raises the possibility
that elevated temperatures, air contaminants, and changes in
precipitation patterns could pose increased health risks. This
new study, written by public health experts Dr. John Balbus of
The George Washington University and Dr. Mark Wilson of The University
of Michigan, sifts through the evidence of climate-related health
risks and reaches the following conclusions:
- If climate change results in more heat waves
and air pollution episodes, disproportionately large and negative
impacts on the elderly, the infirm, and the poor are likely to
result.
- While there are indications that a global
warming trend may increase the risks of vector- and waterborne
diseases, sanitation and public health systems in the United
States are generally sufficient to prevent these diseases from
dramatically increasing in incidence or distribution. However,
many developing countries lack the resources and public health
systems needed to prevent such outbreaks. The report says government
officials the world over need to maintain and strengthen public
health systems, including increased surveillance, and improved
hygiene, water quality, and vector control.
- The linkages between climate and human health
are complex and not fully understood. However, uncertainty about
adverse health effects should not be interpreted as certainty
of no adverse health effects. Moreover, the potential for unexpected
events -- e.g., sudden changes in climate or the emergence of
new diseases annot be ruled out, the report says.
"There
have been a lot of claims and counterclaims about the potential
human health impacts of global climate change," said Pew
Center President Eileen Claussen. "An honest assessment
must acknowledge that the United States can probably avoid the
worst scenarios of disease outbreaks from climate-related causes.
"At the
same time, we should pay more attention to the climate-related
health risks faced by people in less developed countries, and
by the most vulnerable people in our own country," Claussen
said. "And we need to beef up health surveillance systems
to guard against the possible emergence of unexpected health
threats."
A complete
copy of this report and other Pew Center reports can be accessed
from the Pew Center's web site, www.pewclimate.org.
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The
Pew Center was established in May 1998 by the Pew Charitable
Trusts, one of the United States' largest philanthropies and
an influential voice in efforts to improve the quality of the
environment. The Pew Center is a nonprofit, nonpartisan and independent
organization dedicated to providing credible information, straight
answers and innovative solutions in the effort to address global
climate change. Eileen Claussen, the former US Assistant Secretary
of State for Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific
Affairs, leads the Pew Center. For more information, visit www.pewclimate.org.
The
Pew Center includes the Business Environmental Leadership Council,
a group of large, mostly Fortune 500 corporations all working
with the Pew Center to address issues related to climate change.
The companies do not contribute financially to the Pew Center;
it is solely supported by contributions from charitable foundations.
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