Global warming is hazardous to your health

by C. Commisso

April 1st, 2008 in Climate Change, Global warming, Health

That’s according to a report issued Monday by the American Public Health Association (APHA). The connection between the two is the focus of a new campaign the APHA is launching to combat the health effects of climate change.

“Few Americans are aware of the very real consequences of climate change on the health of our communities, our families and our children,” says APHA.

The report suggests that major cities in the midwest and northeast could see soaring summer temperatures that cause more heatstroke and heat stress, hitting the poor and elderly populations especially hard. In the southwest, it could cause further strain on water resources, increasing the likelihood of forest fires and air pollution. The northwest could see more flooding and more potential for contaminated water and the spread of disease. Food production could be significantly impacted in the central plains, and the southeast will continue to see longer, more destructive hurricanes and weather patterns.

Here’s what I find interesting: these things are already happening. We’ve already started down this road…let’s hope it’s not too late to make a course correction. A public health campaign is a good start, and I think approaching it from a healthy living perspective will really “personalize” the issue for many people.

But let’s not stop at simple awareness. Let’s start solving the problem. In addition to making our voices heard by our legislature, there are personal choices we can make to start contributing to the solution instead of the problem.