CO2, Climate Change, and Public Health in the Urban Environment - May 6, 2004
- Go To:
- Introduction
- White Paper
- Inside the Greenhouse
Briefing for House of Representatives (JPG)
Dear Colleague Letter from Congressmen Wayne T. Gilchrest (R-MD), John W. Olver (D-MA)
and Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA)
Briefing
for Senate (PDF)
Dear Colleague Letter from Senators James M. Jeffords (I-VT), Olympia J. Snowe (R-ME),
Edward M. Kennedy (D-MA), Joseph I. Lieberman (D-CT)
Made possible through generous support from The Energy Foundation
Rising levels of carbon dioxide (CO2), in addition to trapping more heat,
promote plant pollen production and fungi, and alter species composition
by favoring opportunistic weeds (like ragweed and poison ivy). Other emissions
from burning fossil fuels in cars, trucks and buses form photochemical
smog that causes and exacerbates asthma, while diesel particulates help
deliver pollen and molds deep into lung sacs. The combination of air pollutants,
increased aeroallergens, and the prolonged heatwaves increasingly associated
with a changing climate, may be contributing to the increase in respiratory
problems, particularly for growing children. These impacts disproportionately
affect poor and minority groups in the inner cities.
Moderator:
Paul R. Epstein, M.D., M.P.H., Associate Director, Center for
Health and the Global Environment, Harvard Medical School
Panel:
CO2, Pollen and Mold: The Epidemics of Allergies and Asthma – Christine
Rogers, Ph.D., Senior Research Scientist, Harvard School of Public Health
Download Powerpoint presentation here.
Climate Change and Environmental Justice – Georges Benjamin, M.D.,
Executive Director, The American Public Health Association
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