LAUSR

With the increasing understanding that climate change is already affecting and will continue to affect human health,1,2 health professionals, governments, businesses, and the general public must proactively address both climate change and its implications for public health. The observed and anticipated effects of climate change on human health are myriad and will affect both the vulnerable and the broader public. Examples of direct effects include overall elevated temperatures that generally exacerbate chronic disease morbidity and mortality and changing patterns and increased frequency of heat waves that lead to more acute heat stress-related morbidity and mortality.3 Some of the indirect outcomes of climate change include alterations of vector-borne disease transmission dynamics, degradation and destabilization of air and water quality, and stress to mental health. More complex downstream effects include disruption of agriculture and food security, reduced water availability, and conflict over limited resources. (Am J Public Health. Published online ahead of print October 26, 2017: e1-e2. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2017.304045).