Medical alert! Climate change is harming our health

This report outlines the ways climate change is adversely affecting American public health, including through extreme heat and weather, air pollution, climate change-induced rises in disease-carrying tick and mosquito populations, water and food contamination, and threats to mental and nutritional health. It calls on doctors, business leaders, public health professionals, and government officials to prepare for and prevent the negative effects of climate change on health.

This report serves as the basis for the Consortium's efforts to educate the public and policymakers in government and industry about the ways climate change is harming public health. In particular, this report—along with other materials produced by our Medical Society Consortium on Climate & Health and others—will highlight the urgency of this challenge and provide direction on how to respond to climate change to improve the health of Americans today and in the future. The health harms and risks from climate change vary from region to region, but all regions of the country are affected.