Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Doctors Paint Dire Picture Of Climate Change's Negative Health Effects On Children
The New York Times: Climate Change Poses Threats To Children’s Health Worldwide
The health effects of climate change will be unevenly distributed and children will be among those especially harmed, according to a new report from the medical journal The Lancet. The report compared human health consequences under two scenarios: one in which the world meets the commitments laid out in the Paris Agreement and reins in emissions so that increases in global temperatures remain “well below 2 degrees Celsius” by the end of the century, and one in which it does not. (Pierre-Louis, 11/13)
The Associated Press: Doctors: Warmer World Is Unhealthier Place For Children
With increasing diarrhea diseases, more dangerous heat waves, air pollution and increases in mosquito-borne diseases such as dengue fever and malaria, man-made global warming is already harming public health around the world, the annual climate change and health report from the medical journal The Lancet said Wednesday. But the report and its authors said they worry that the future health of the world’s youngest people will get even grimmer if emissions of heat-trapping gases aren’t curbed. (11/13)
CNBC: Climate Change Damaging The Health Of Children, Medical Officials Warn
“Children are particularly vulnerable to the health risks of a changing climate,” said Nick Watts, executive director of The Lancet Countdown, an annual report tracking connections between public health and climate change. “Their bodies and immune systems are still developing, leaving them more susceptible to disease and environmental pollutants,” he said. (Newburger, 11/13)
NPR: Sweeping Study Points To Devastating Impact Of Climate Change On Global Health
For instance, it's meant the conditions for growing all sorts of crops around the world have become less favorable. "Each of the major crops," Watts says. "We track maize, we track rice, soybean, and spring and winter wheat." Watts says the research team found that the yield potential for these staple crops is now down as much as 6%. Which might not sound like much, but with reduced crop yields, "who is going to be the most vulnerable?" Watts asks. "Children." (Aizenman, 11/14)
Vox: Climate Change And Health: Report Warns Warming Will Affect “Every Single Stage” Of A Child’s Life
At the moment, some of the most severe climate change health effects are on the elderly. The researchers found that there were more than 220 million additional heat wave exposures in 2018 for people over 65 compared to the average between 1986 and 2005. They found that three-quarters of countries in the world saw an increase in the populations exposed to wildfires over the past three years compared to the 15 years prior. The report also emphasizes that mental health issues linked to climate change are emerging, particularly for those dealing with traumas of migration and loss. (Irfan, 11/13)
In other environmental health news —
The Associated Press: Ex-Government Health Chief Joins Warnings About EPA Proposal
A former top government environmental health official joined health experts on Wednesday in expressing alarm as the Trump administration moves forward with a proposal that scientists say would upend how the U.S. regulates threats to public health. “It will practically lead to the elimination of science from decision-making,” said Linda Birnbaum, who retired last month as director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences after serving under both Republican and Democratic administrations. (11/13)
Sacramento Bee: Does Nipomo Mesa Air Quality Impact Health When Dust Blows?
When strong winds blow from the direction of the Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area, a large plume of dust billows inland for hours at a time, data show. The dust covers cars and lawn furniture. It gets inside the house too, and can get into people’s lungs and bloodstream. The problem has attracted the attention of the American Lung Association. (Vaughan, Garibay and Ladin, 11/13)
