Make a difference in the challenge to confront global warming and prevent nuclear war and the development and use of nuclear weapons.
Promote clean renewable energy, prevent massive nuclear and coal subsidies, and reduce the threat of nuclear war! Join PSR for a Day of Action in Washington D.C, April 29, 2010.
With each passing month, scientific evidence continues to mount that the earth’s climate is rapidly changing. Global average surface temperatures have increased by about one degree Fahrenheit since the beginning of the 20th century and the five hottest years on record have all occurred in the last decade. Scientists widely agree that human activities are the primary cause of this global warming. As we burn fossil fuels to drive our cars and power our homes, we add more and more carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping gases to the atmosphere. Having increased by more than 30 percent since pre-industrial times, the atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide is now higher than at any point in the last 420,000 years. The United States alone produces approximately one-quarter of global greenhouse gas emissions. Unless global warming emissions are reduced, temperatures will increase by an additional 2.5 to 10.4 degrees Fahrenheit during the next 100 years.
It is clear that global warming is no longer just a prediction. Melting glaciers, rising oceans, prolonged droughts, stronger hurricanes, and more intense heat waves are examples of the impacts already happening worldwide. The potential health effects of these changes are very serious. Death and injury from natural disasters, heat-related illness, pest and water borne diseases, malnutrition, and air and water pollution will affect people across the country and around the globe. Children, the poor, the elderly, and anyone with a weak or impaired immune system are the most vulnerable.
The United States has a greater ability to adapt to and to prepare for these changes than other countries because of our strong health care infrastructure and economy. We must act now to slow and eventually reverse global warming by significantly reducing fossil fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. In addition, we need to invest in strategies that will help us to prepare for what may come. It is essential that we formulate and implement plans to improve our public health infrastructure, including disease surveillance and emergency response capabilities. Continued research is needed to better understand the relationships among global warming, the health of ecosystems, and the health of the public.
Dr. Welker-Hood Conducts Grand Rounds on Climate Change
As part of our Symposium on Climate Change, PSR's Kristen Welker-Hood conducted Grand Rounds at 2 area hospitals and was interviewed by FOX medical reporter Dr. Joette Giovinco. See Dr. Welker-Hood's interview here.
Click here to listen to PSR’s Will Callaway discuss the health impacts of global warming with Mike Tidwell on Earthbeat Radio.
Today, PSR is joining with dozens of organizations, representing millions of Americans, calling on the U.S. Senate to pass clean energy and climate legislation. Please tell your Senators that we can no longer delay action if we are to protect our health and the health of future generations from catastrophic climate change.
The Clean Air Act, our only regulatory tool to cut carbon emissions and prevent catastrophic climate change, is under attack. To protect our nation's health, we need your help!
Coal's Assault on Human Health
Physicians for Social Responsibility has released a groundbreaking medical report, “Coal’s Assault on Human Health,” which takes a new look at the devastating impacts of coal on the human body. Coal combustion releases mercury, particulate matter, nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, and dozens of other substances known to be hazardous to human health. This report looks at the cumulative harm inflicted by those pollutants on three major body organ systems: the respiratory system, the cardiovascular system, and the nervous system. The report also considers coal’s contribution to global warming, and the health implications of global warming. Read more »
Climate Chaos
Written thoughtfully for a lay audience, this book by PSR Board member Cindy Parker and psychologist and former journalist Steve Shapiro describes in lay terms how climate change will affect our health if it continues unabated. Read more »
Cooking the Earth
"Cooking the Earth," PSR’s handsome new slide show, describes how coal increases global warming and how that warming threatens human health. 40 slides. Read more »
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