Global Warming

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.