Reports Gauge Potential Health Impact Of Climate Change

The New York Times (6/23, Tavernise, Subscription Publication) reports that “more people will be exposed to floods, droughts, heat waves and other extreme weather associated with climate change over the next century than previously thought, according to a new report in...The Lancet.”

        Bloomberg News (6/23, Landberg, Nicola) reports, “Calling for ‘a rapid phaseout of coal from the global energy mix,’ a panel of 46 health professionals and climate scientists identified the world’s rising temperature as one of the biggest threats to humans in the coming decades.”

        On its website, CBS News (6/23, Welch) reports, “Reducing the reliance on fossil fuels...should be a primary goal for governments around the world, according to the report.” Additionally, “focusing on making cities more pedestrian- and bicycle-friendly would...reduce air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, as well as help decrease rates of obesity, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and respiratory disease.”

        TIME (6/23, Worland) reports, “Some of the health risks posed by climate change are more obvious, according to the report; extreme weather events like hurricanes, blizzards and tornadoes kill and injure people, and they’re expected to get more frequent.” However, “there are many secondary consequences to climate change that affect human health in unexpected ways, the study” contends. For instance, “air pollution can cause allergies and asthma, drought could lead to a decline in agriculture and subsequent food shortages and a loss of ecosystems could push pests into contact with humans and increase the number of vector-borne diseases, the authors write.”

        The Washington Post (6/23, Mooney) points out that “the report emerges just before a Tuesday White House summit on climate change and public health, to be attended by Surgeon General Vivek Murthy and EPA administrator Gina McCarthy.”

        Meanwhile, the AP (6/23, Daly) reports, “Failure to act on climate change could cause an estimated 57,000 deaths a year in the United States from poor air quality by 2100, the Obama administration argued in a report released” yesterday “that warns of dire effects of global warming.” The new report, from the Environmental Protection Agency, “says inaction on climate change could cost billions of dollars a year in damage from rising sea levels, increased wildfires and drought, as well as higher costs for electricity to cool homes and businesses in hotter temperatures.”

        According to the NBC News (6/23) website, the report “claims that acting on climate change now could save lives down the road — as many as 57,000 in the year 2100 who would otherwise die from the effects of poor air quality alone.”

        Also covering the Lancet report are AFP (6/23), The Guardian (UK) (6/23), Reuters (6/23, Kelland), and the Telegraph (UK) (6/23). The Huffington Post (6/23, Sheppard) also covers the EPA report.