ABSTRACT
Projected extremes and variations in weather associated with long-term climate change pose a number of chronic and acute risks for human health. With sufficient advance warning and relatively gradual rates of change, public health systems, even in poorer developing countries, might adapt to such changes to limit their adverse impacts. Much of the evidence advanced by climate experts writing in this book suggests that the abruptness of climate change is likely to limit the effectiveness of any adaptation strategies. We may see an interplay of a variety of factors: significantly higher temperatures producing more frequent and prolonged heat waves along with associated deterioration of air quality; more extreme weather events (storms, floods and droughts); coastal inundation and salt water intrusion into fresh water supplies, water treatment plants, landfills and hazardous waste facilities; and increased ranges for the survival of pests and other disease vectors as a result of warmer winters and earlier onset of spring temperatures. Rapid rates of change will profoundly alter habitats, changing some forests to grasslands (with the pace of change often accelerated by wildfire), squeezing out many wetlands, and shifting distributions of flora and fauna. Projecting the impacts of such changes on human health and well-being remains somewhat speculative, however, there are a number of reasons to anticipate some rude surprises.
