Climate change is a serious threat to public health, particularly for pregnant women, children, communities of color, and low-income people, a government report issued Monday has warned.
The report, The Impacts of Climate Change on Human Health in the United States: A Scientific Assessmentfinds that rising temperatures in the coming years will bring along with them the increased risk of:
- death from heat stroke, particularly in the summer months;
- chronic and acute respiratory issues;
- vector-borne illnesses like the West Nile virus and Lyme disease, as well as the new emergence of new pathogens;
- chemical toxins in the food chain;
- and mental health consequences of being exposed to climate disasters—among a litany of other risks.