CDC leads efforts to anticipate the health effects of climate change, to assure that systems are in place to detect and track them, and to take steps to prepare for, respond to, and manage associated risks.
Weather Event |
Health Effects |
Populations Most Affected |
---|---|---|
Heat waves |
Heat stress |
Extremes of age, athletes, people with respiratory disease |
Extreme weather events,(rain, hurricane, tornado, flooding) |
Injuries, drowning |
Coastal, low-lying land dwellers, low SES |
Droughts, floods, increased mean temperature |
Vector-, food- and water-borne diseases |
Multiple populations at risk |
Sea-level rise |
Injuries, drowning, water and soil salinization, ecosystem and economic disruption |
Coastal, low SES |
Drought, ecosystem migration |
Food and water shortages, malnutrition |
Low SES, elderly, children |
Extreme weather events, drought |
Mass population movement, international conflict |
General population |
Increases in ground-level ozone, airborne allergens, and other pollutants |
Respiratory disease exacerbations (COPD, asthma, allergic rhinitis, bronchitis) |
Elderly, children, those with respiratory disease |
Climate change generally; extreme events |
Mental health |
Young, displaced, agricultural sector, low SES |
Building on existing programs and the Essential Public Health Services, CDC has identified the following priority health actions for climate change: