Health

GLOBAL WARMING AND climate change may produce a wide variety of harmful impacts on human health. Although the magnitude and timing of climate change and the effects of human adaptation are not known with certainty, some inferences have been drawn from existing models. These models attempt to use historical scientific data and current global or regional trends to estimate a range of possible future outcomes. There remains significant disagreement in both scientific and political circles regarding trends in global warming, potential threats posed by change, and the need for mitigation effort. Five major potential outcomes of global warming and climate change associated with significant health consequences include increases in ambient temperature, weather extremes, shifts in infectious disease patterns, changes in air quality, and resource pressures ...