Climate Change and Health: From Science to Practice

Changes occurring in the world’s climate pose significant threats to human health and wellbeing and will have even greater impacts in the future. These threats are wide-ranging, including decreased air quality and increases in extreme weather events, wildfire, and illnesses transmitted by water, and disease-carriers, such as mosquitoes and ticks. Although scientific understanding of the effects of climate change is still emerging, there is considerable evidence to support preparing for potential health risks.

Studies have shown that adverse climate events are increasing in both intensity and frequency, contributing to rising rates of illness as well as mortality. Elevated temperatures in the 2003 European heat wave resulted in over 30,000 confirmed heat-related deaths & 70,000 excess deaths from all causes. Flooding has caused billions of dollars of damage and significant loss of life. The populations most vulnerable—children, elderly people, those living in poverty, people living in certain geographic areas and people with underlying health conditions—are at even greater health risk from climate change.

Planning for climate change provides opportunities to protect human health and well-being across many sectors. Early public health action is essential to ensuring that systems are in place to protect people from the impacts of climate change. As the nation’s public health agency, CDC is using its prevention expertise to help states and cities investigate, prepare for, and respond to the health effects of climate change.

This session of Grand Rounds explored the wide-ranging health impact of our changing climate and discussed some of the strategies, programs and partnerships currently being used to confront the challenges associated with global climate change.