Environmental Health Indicators of Climate Change for the United States: Findings from the State Environmental Health Indicator Collaborative (9 page pdf Environmental Health Perspectives- Nov 2009)
Key Quotes:
“best indicators of environmental changes due to climate change are quantity of greenhouse gas emissions, air quality (in particular ozone), air mass stagnation events (such as those caused by temperature inversions), temperature and humidity, pollen loads, ragweed occurrence, drought incidence, drinking water scarcity, and occurrence of wildfires and harmful algal blooms.”
“GHGEs (Greenhouse Gas Emissions) are important indicators because they increase climate change and affect public health through direct effects such as heat waves, and through indirect effects such as increased growth of plant biomass that affects allergic airway disease. Air mass stagnation events, which increase O3 production and will increase in frequency as weather conditions favorable to heat waves increase”
“The latest research indicates that O3 concentrations are estimated to increase 5–10% in the United States between now and the 2050s (and possibly 2.5–5% by 2030) because of climate change”
“Accounting for climate change and O3 precursor emissions and population growth, Knowlton et al. (2004) estimated a median 4.5% increase in O3-related acute mortality across 31 New York metropolitan area counties by the 2050s”
“some segments of the population may be especially vulnerable to certain effects of climate change. These groups include children; the elderly; pregnant and nursing women; those with disabilities and preexisting conditions such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and obesity; people living in poverty or social isolation or without access to transportation; and those living within 5 km of a coast that is highly vulnerable to sea level rise, or in a 100- or 500-year flood zone”
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Filed under: Environmental Plans, Health Impacts, Outreach/education Tagged: | climate, health, outreach
