Climate Change a "Public Health Threat"

Calling climate change "one of the most serious public health threats facing our nation," the American Public Health Association (APHA) this week announced a major new initiative focused on climate change and health in the U.S.

The APHA said public health experts will spend the next six months talking with policy-makers to develop recommendations for how to deal with the health impacts of climate change. The agency added that its next observance of National Public Health Week, set for April 2008, will be themed, "Climate Change: Our Health in the Balance."

"Climate change is one of the most serious public health threats facing our nation," said Georges C. Benjamin, executive director of APHA. "Yet few Americans are aware of the very real consequences of climate change on the health of our communities, our families and our children."

Adopted last week during the group's annual meeting in Washington, D.C., the APHA's climate-change measures include a call on U.S. policy-makers to move immediately to reduce the nation's greenhouse gas emissions. The APHA also said U.S. policies on foreign aid and global health should "reflect the importance of global climate change," and should include ways to both reduce the impact of climate change on the developing world and help people in those regions to adapt to their changing environments.

The group also recommended more education for public-health workers on the impacts of climate change, as well as adequate resources to help health agencies address climate change-related issues.

"While a number of efforts have addressed various aspects of public health and climate change, until now the approach has been scattered," Benjamin. "Next April, a formal list of recommendations for addressing this unprecedented challenge will be distributed to every public health professional in the nation. We will focus on the United States, but recognize it is a global concern."

Last month, a report from the American Academy of Pediatrics warned that children will be most vulnerable to the health impacts of climate change, and urged the medical community to do more to address those impacts. Health threats created by global warming range from an increased risk of water- and food-borne diseases after natural disasters to a greater risk of respiratory problems because of higher levels of pollution and allergens.

American Public Health Association, "Public Health Community Announces Major Initiative on Climate Change." URL: (http://www.apha.org/about/news/pressreleases/2007/climatechangeannouncement.htm)