Climate change and human health : impact and adaptation

Overview

Concern for human health is one of the most compelling reasons to study the effects of global climate change. Health is a focus that will reflect the combined impacts of climate change on the physical environment, ecosystems, the economic environment and society. Long-term changes in world climate may affect many of the requisites of good health – sufficient food, safe and adequate drinking water, and secure dwellings. The current large-scale social and environmental changes mean that we must assign a much higher priority to population health in the policy debate on climate change.