II. Background
- Global warming creates significant adverse environmental conditions that impact human health
III. Adverse Effects: Extreme Heat Exposure and Heat Waves
- See Heat Related Illness
- Higher risk in urban areas, and for outdoor workers, athletes and low-income households, elderly, homeless
- Extreme heat is responsible for up to 1300 deaths per year in U.S.
IV. Adverse Effects: Air Quality
- See Outdoor Air Pollutants
- Increased Air Pollution, increased ozone concentrations and prolonged pollen seasons with climate change
- Increased Asthma Exacerbations and COPD exacerbations
V. Adverse Effects: Extreme Events - Precipitation Extremes
- Droughts
- Increased risk of wildfires (see below)
- Floods
- Hurricanes
- Resources
- Extreme Precipitation Events (CDC)
VI. Adverse Effects: Wildfires
- See Burn Injury
- See Smoke Inhalation Injury
- See Outdoor Air Pollutants
- Wildfire risk is directly reclated to droughts
- Smoke from wildfires contains particulate matter as well as Carbon Monoxide, nitrogen oxides and various other volatile agents
- Beyond the danger from the fire itself, air quality is a major concern (see above)
VII. Adverse Effects: Vectorborne Disease
- See Vector Borne Disease
- Warmer Temperatures have allowed Insect vectors have expanded their range into North America
- Longer durations of warm weather, have allowed Insect populations to increase and be active for longer periods
- Examples include West Nile Virus, Zika Virus, DengueVirus, ChikungunyaVirus, Lyme Disease
VIII. Adverse Effects: Water-Related Illness
- See Waterborne Illness
- Contaminated water supply (e.g. Cholera) is common during natural disasters (e.g. flooding, hurricanes)
- Ocean Bacteria (e.g. Vibrio) increase with ocean Temperature warming
IX. Adverse Effects: Food Safety and Nutrition
- Food supply is expected to decrease worldwide due to climate change (decreased crop yields, fish and livestock populations)
- Food prices are expected to increase in the face of a growing population
- Expected food insecurity and nutrient poor diets with secondary increased risks for both Malnutrition and Obesity
X. Adverse Effects: Mental Health
- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and other Anxiety Disorders often follow natural disasters (e.g. wildfires, hurricanes)
- Mental illness (e.g. Major Depression, Anxiety Disorder, Bipolar Disorder, Schizophrenia) are exacerbated by disasters
XI. Resources
- Global Warming 101 (NRDC)
- Climate Effects on Health (CDC)
- Third National Climate Assessment - Human Health