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Issues: Health

Global Warming and Our Health
Global warming is already affecting human health worldwide -- see who's being affected, and how some are preparing for change.

HOTSPOTS

Click on the map to view examples of health hotspots and preparedness plans

Science has shown that global warming will directly affect our health. Global warming can lead to increased flooding, sea level rise, more frequent and more serious storms, worsening air quality, changing patterns of mosquito and tick-borne disease, degradation of food and water supplies and dangerous heat waves.

This map shows just some of the climate-related health impacts that can already be seen around the globe, from a rise in heat wave-related deaths and illness in Europe to diminishing drinking water supplies in the western United States to flooding in Bangladesh. Even with aggressive measures to reduce greenhouse gases, the earth will experience increased global warming -- and more widespread health consequences -- for at least the next 50 to 100 years.

The actions we take today can avert the worst of these health threats. While Congress develops global warming legislation that cuts pollution, national and local public health systems are beginning to prepare for the hazards posed by climate change.

Locally tailored strategies already in the works include establishing heat wave warning systems and response plans; improving infrastructure in vulnerable coastal areas; and constructing green buildings that stay cool and save energy. Besides the locations shown on the map, dozens of other U.S. communities and several U.S. states (Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Maryland, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Oregon, Utah, Vermont and Washington) are developing global warming preparedness plans.

The map above highlights some of the locations in the United States and around the world where human health is already being affected by global warming, and some communities that are taking steps to better cope with climate change. Click on the map to see who's being affected, and where preparations are being put into place.

Additional Resources
FEMA's "Ready America" Preparedness Program
EPA'S Strategies to Address Heat Waves
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change's Information on Adaptation
CDC's Page on Climate Change and Public Health
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's Report on Global Warming Impacts (PDF)
American Public Health Association's Climate Climate Change Brochure and Tool Kit

last revised 5.5.08