Make a difference in the challenge to confront global warming and prevent nuclear war and the development and use of nuclear weapons.
Climate change’s threats to human health and life are growing. Will you join our latest effort to roll back climate change?
Global warming is likely to increase the risk of some infectious diseases because rising temperatures and increased rainfall benefit insects and animals that carry human disease. Mosquitoes, for example, reproduce more rapidly and transmit disease more efficiently at higher temperatures. Warming temperatures also may allow mosquitoes and other insects to expand their range, which could put previously unexposed populations at risk of infection. More complex is the relationship between rainfall and disease transmission. Increasing frequency and intensity of droughts and floods, and more rapid swings between the two extremes could worsen the spread of disease. The mosquito that carries West Nile virus, for example, thrives in drought conditions, while the populations of its predators are reduced. Since it was introduced to North America just seven years ago, West Nile virus has infected more than 21,000 people in the United States and Canada. Lyme disease, malaria, dengue fever, yellow fever, and encephalitis could also spread as a result of global warming. Developing countries, which already experience a disproportionate share of the global infectious disease burden, are especially at risk.
Download PSR's Fact Sheet:
The Medical and Public Health Impacts of Global Warming (PDF)
Climate change’s threats to human health and life are growing. Will you join our latest effort to roll back climate change?
Many products we buy are seriously toxic – they can disrupt the hormone system, cause cancer, even birth defects. Join us in asking major retailers to remove toxic products from their shelves.
Hope for a Heated Planet
Author Bob Musil, former PSR executive director and now scholar-in-residence at American University, has written an insightful and informative account about the climate change issue and how it has finally emerged in the public’s mind as a major public health concern. Read more »
Extreme Weather Impacts on Public Health
Dr. Catherine Thomasson's presentation at the Woodrow Wilson Center on April 10, 2013 on the effects of climate change. Read more »
Climate Change Flyer
Handout was developed by writer Bruni Estrada and graphic designer Daniel Pizarro, in collaboration with Mathias Pollock, Program Coordinator - Student PSR. To see more of Daniel's graphic design work visit http://www.danielpizarro.info. Read more »
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