Report: Climate Change Already Affecting Americans' Health

Climate change from human causes is already having negative health effects on humans, according to to a report released by the U.S. Global Change Research Program.

According to the Climate and Health Assessment report, human-induced climate change is endangering our health by affecting “our food and water sources, the air we breathe (and) the weather we experience.” The health risks only increase as the climate continues to change, the report said.

In particular, air pollution is affecting children the most because they “breathe more air per pound than adults,” said Dr. Mark Mitchell, chair of the National Medical Association's Council on Medical Legislation.

The report noted that the United States have already observed the effects of climate change with more frequent, severe or longer-lasting extreme weather events, such as heatwaves.

Currently, downtown Los Angeles is seeing an average of six days per year with temperatures above 95 degrees, but that number is expected to increase to around 22 days in the next 50 years, Los Angeles Public Health official Dr. Jeffrey Gunzenhauser said.

“More excessive heat waves equal more deaths,” he said.

And older adults are particularly affected by the annual heatwaves, Dr. Mitchell said.

In Southern California, the rising temperature means an increase in wildfires. Dr. Gunzenhauser said the areas burned by wildfire this season in the Los Angeles County has increased by 77 percent.

Climate change can affect our healths in two ways, according to the report. First, by exacerbating health problems already affected by weather. Second, by creating health problems or threats in places where they have not previously occurred.

The Zika virus resurgence is an example, said Dr. Jonathan Patz, the director of the Global Health Institute at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

He raised the question about the effects of El Nino, which may have played a role in the spread of the virus, he said.

Worldwide, Dr. Patz said around 8 million will die from the effects of climate change. Specifically, between of 60 to 80,000 in the U.S, will die from the effects of air pollution, he said.

But the good news is there is still something we can do about it. If people would reduce small trips (those that are less than 2.5 miles) in their cars by half, then, 13,000 lives could be saved with a healthcare saving of $8 billion, Dr. Patz said.

There is a direct link between air quality and health, he said.

And reducing carbon emission and other greenhouse gasses needn’t be cost prohibitive. A 2014 study by MIT showed that a cap-and-trade program paid for itself 10 folds in healthcare savings.

While there are still some skepticisms from the public about climate change being man-made (the scientific community is in a near-consensus about it being man-made), there are no disputes about its health effects, Dr. Patz said.

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