Climate Change: the Public Health Response

Overview

Journal Am J Public Health

Specialty Public Health

Date 2008 Feb 1

PMID 18235058

Citations 142

Authors

Howard Frumkin

Jeremy Hess

George Luber

Josephine Malilay

Michael McGeehin

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

There is scientific consensus that the global climate is changing, with rising surface temperatures, melting ice and snow, rising sea levels, and increasing climate variability. These changes are expected to have substantial impacts on human health. There are known, effective public health responses for many of these impacts, but the scope, timeline, and complexity of climate change are unprecedented. We propose a public health approach to climate change, based on the essential public health services, that extends to both clinical and population health services and emphasizes the coordination of government agencies (federal, state, and local), academia, the private sector, and nongovernmental organizations.

Citing Articles

Scoping review on assessing climate-sensitive health risks.

Yenew C, Bayeh G, Gebeyehu A, Enawgaw A, Asmare Z, Ejigu A BMC Public Health. 2025; 25(1):914.

PMID: 40055611 PMC: 11887272. DOI: 10.1186/s12889-025-22148-x.

Political economics in health and implications for neurosurgery diseases.

Han Y, Huang Y Front Public Health. 2025; 12:1444249.

PMID: 39935745 PMC: 11811093. DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1444249.

Resilience Informatics in Public Health: Qualitative Analysis of Conference Proceedings.

Block Ngaybe M, Azurdia Sierra L, McNair A, Gonzalez M, Arora M, Ernst K JMIR Form Res. 2025; 9:e63217.

PMID: 39819984 PMC: 11783028. DOI: 10.2196/63217.

Indicators from The Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change: Perspectives and Experience of City Leaders from 118 Cities.

Ickovics J, Astbury K, Campbell M, Carrion D, James H, Sinha N J Urban Health. 2025; 102(1):201-209.

PMID: 39762690 PMC: 11865389. DOI: 10.1007/s11524-024-00952-x.

Strategies and tactics to reduce the impact of healthcare on climate change: systematic review.

Braithwaite J, Smith C, Leask E, Wijekulasuriya S, Brooke-Cowden K, Fisher G BMJ. 2024; 387:e081284.

PMID: 39379104 PMC: 11459334. DOI: 10.1136/bmj-2024-081284.

References

Wigley T . The climate change commitment. Science. 2005; 307(5716):1766-9. DOI: 10.1126/science.1103934. View

Ebi K, Kovats R, Menne B . An approach for assessing human health vulnerability and public health interventions to adapt to climate change. Environ Health Perspect. 2006; 114(12):1930-4. PMC: 1764166. DOI: 10.1289/ehp.8430. View

Patz J, Olson S . Climate change and health: global to local influences on disease risk. Ann Trop Med Parasitol. 2006; 100(5-6):535-49. DOI: 10.1179/136485906X97426. View

Gierl L, Schmidt R . Geomedical warning system against epidemics. Int J Hyg Environ Health. 2005; 208(4):287-97. DOI: 10.1016/j.ijheh.2005.03.002. View

Haines A, Patz J . Health effects of climate change. JAMA. 2004; 291(1):99-103. DOI: 10.1001/jama.291.1.99. View

Ahern M, Kovats R, Wilkinson P, Few R, Matthies F . Global health impacts of floods: epidemiologic evidence. Epidemiol Rev. 2005; 27:36-46. DOI: 10.1093/epirev/mxi004. View

OBrien G, OKeefe P, Rose J, Wisner B . Climate change and disaster management. Disasters. 2006; 30(1):64-80. DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-9523.2006.00307.x. View

Drake J . Fundamental limits to the precision of early warning systems for epidemics of infectious diseases. PLoS Med. 2005; 2(5):e144. PMC: 1140954. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pmed.0020144. View

Franco C, Toner E, Waldhorn R, Maldin B, OToole T, Inglesby T . Systemic collapse: Medical care in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Biosecur Bioterror. 2006; 4(2):135-46. DOI: 10.1089/bsp.2006.4.135. View

10.

. Cold exposure and winter mortality from ischaemic heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, respiratory disease, and all causes in warm and cold regions of Europe. The Eurowinter Group. Lancet. 1997; 349(9062):1341-6. View

11.

Besser L, Dannenberg A . Walking to public transit: steps to help meet physical activity recommendations. Am J Prev Med. 2005; 29(4):273-80. DOI: 10.1016/j.amepre.2005.06.010. View

12.

Patz J, Engelberg D, Last J . The effects of changing weather on public health. Annu Rev Public Health. 2000; 21:271-307. DOI: 10.1146/annurev.publhealth.21.1.271. View

13.

. Rapid nutritional and health assessment of the population affected by drought-associated famine--Chad. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 1985; 34(43):665-7. View

14.

Rodriguez H, Aguirre B . Hurricane Katrina and the healthcare infrastructure: A focus on disaster preparedness, response, and resiliency. Front Health Serv Manage. 2006; 23(1):13-23. View

15.

Bouchama A, Knochel J . Heat stroke. N Engl J Med. 2002; 346(25):1978-88. DOI: 10.1056/NEJMra011089. View

16.

Campbell-Lendrum D, Woodruff R . Comparative risk assessment of the burden of disease from climate change. Environ Health Perspect. 2006; 114(12):1935-41. PMC: 1764135. DOI: 10.1289/ehp.8432. View

17.

Rose J, EPSTEIN P, Lipp E, Sherman B, Bernard S, Patz J . Climate variability and change in the United States: potential impacts on water- and foodborne diseases caused by microbiologic agents. Environ Health Perspect. 2001; 109 Suppl 2:211-21. PMC: 1240668. DOI: 10.1289/ehp.01109s2211. View

18.

Engelthaler D, Mosley D, Cheek J, Levy C, Komatsu K, Ettestad P . Climatic and environmental patterns associated with hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, Four Corners region, United States. Emerg Infect Dis. 1999; 5(1):87-94. PMC: 2627709. DOI: 10.3201/eid0501.990110. View

19.

Madrid P, Grant R, Reilly M, Redlener N . Challenges in meeting immediate emotional needs: short-term impact of a major disaster on children's mental health: building resiliency in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Pediatrics. 2006; 117(5 Pt 3):S448-53. DOI: 10.1542/peds.2006-0099U. View

20.

Ceccato P, Connor S, Jeanne I, Thomson M . Application of Geographical Information Systems and Remote Sensing technologies for assessing and monitoring malaria risk. Parassitologia. 2005; 47(1):81-96. View