Climate change is happening: it is likely that the risk of heat-related death and illness has increased. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) had medium confidence that some other health outcomes have been affected, including those due to reduced food availability to vulnerable populations.Two broad approaches are needed to protect public health: mitigation, or major reductions in carbon emissions, corresponding to primary prevention; and adaptation, or steps to anticipate and reduce threats, corresponding to secondary prevention (or public health preparedness).
A wide range of solutions is available to mitigate the problem of climate change. Many of them would improve health immediately. From decreasing rates of chronic diseases to reducing motor vehicle crashes, there are many good solutions for climate disasters and health risks. Reducing greenhouse gases, deploying sustainable energy technologies, shifting transportation patterns, and improving building design—many of which yield multiple benefits—are feasible, cost-effective, and attractive to multiple parties. Health care professionals are uniquely positioned to develop policies that simultaneously serve both planet and people.
Climate change, as a global disturbance, can exacerbate many environmental health risks familiar to clinicians and public health professionals. The nature of risks and population vulnerability will vary by region; indirect consequences such as ecosystem collapse may overshadow more direct health effects, yet are more difficult to estimate.
Recent reviews on health effects of climate change have been published by the IPCC and the US National Climate Assessment. Our goals in this Special Communication are to provide new US-based temperature projections from downscaled climate modeling and to review recent studies on climate change health risks and the cobenefits of mitigating greenhouse gas emissions.