Lecture 19: Health Risks of Climate Change

• There are a lot of health risks associated with climate change
• Perception of health risks

  Who thinks there are health risks to climate change and who is worried about what's happening
• Groups that perceived a big risk from climate change

  • People with pre-existing medical conditions or disabilities
  • Racial and ethnic minorities
  • Those living in a flood plain
  • Democrats
• There is a partisan divide about who thinks climate change will affect their health
• This lecture focuses on direct health issues, while the next lecture will cover societal risks including indirect health issues
• Ozone


  A powerful pollutant created from pollutants from burning fossil fuels, heat, and light
• Ozone is harmful to the respiratory system and can damage young plants
• As temperature increases


  More days with ozone production
• Ozone is a major component of smog in cities like Los Angeles
• Reducing fossil fuel use

  Decreases ozone levels in many areas, but ozone from climate change still increases in some areas
• Smoke from wildfires is hazardous to human health, causing short-term and long-term effects
• Many homes in the western US lack air conditioning to filter out wildfire smoke
• The annual risk of hazardous wildfire smoke events is increasing across much of the western US
• Heat waves


  Periods of excessively hot weather that are increasing in frequency and duration, particularly harmful for vulnerable populations
• Heat waves increase deaths from dehydration, heat stroke, and cardiovascular problems
• Reducing warming to 2°C or 1.5°C


  Saves many lives compared to 3°C of warming
• Colder weather also kills many people, but mortality from cold is projected to decrease in some areas as the climate warms
• Insect-borne diseases


  Diseases with complex life cycles involving animal and insect hosts, like malaria, dengue fever, and Lyme disease
• Suitable habitats for disease-spreading insects like ticks and mosquitoes are projected to expand with climate change
• Malaria and dengue fever risk is expected to increase in parts of the US that currently do not have these diseases
• There are many other indirect health risks from climate change, such as impacts on agriculture, conflict, and natural disasters, which will be covered in the next lecture