________________________________________________________________

Climate change is a local and global threat to public health. Changes in Wisconsin conditions and extreme weather events have already been documented, and warmer and wetter conditions are projected to worsen by 5-9°F over the next 35 years (1). A warmer and wetter world affect your health in the following ways:

• Increases in temperature can lead to air quality degradation that worsen cardiovascular and respiratory disease.

• Drought conditions cause food and drinking water insecurity and respiratory distress from airborne dust and particulates.

• Changes in the climate alter the range of disease-carrying insects, such as mosquitoes, ticks, and fleas that transmit West Nile Virus, Dengue fever, Lyme disease, malaria, and more to humans.

• Nitrogen and phosphorus contaminated surface water runoff from storms may lead to toxin-producing blue-green algae blooms that cause health risks to residents, visitors, and pets.

• Damage to property, loss of loved ones, displacement, and chronic stress resulting from disasters may increase mental health issues.

• Power outages resulting from extreme weather events place chronically ill patients on medical devices at higher risk.

• Additional healthcare needs during extreme climate events, overwhelm hospital capacity public health services, limiting people’s ability to obtain adequate health care for unrelated conditions.

• Increases in the frequency and severity of heat waves, lead to more heat-related illnesses and deaths.

• Winter weather temperature shifts result in rain, sleet, and ice that cause increases in traffic accidents, deaths, and injuries.

• Increases in frequency and severity of extreme weather events, such as floods, fires, and hurricanes, result in deaths, injuries, illnesses.

• Longer growing seasons result in increased pollen; and higher temperatures, humidity, and storm activity increase mold, worsening allergies and lung diseases, such as asthma.

• Increases in flooding events and sea level rise contaminate water with harmful bacteria, viruses, and chemicals, causing food and waterborne illnesses.

Groups more likely to be hurt by climate change include:

• Black, indigenous, & people of color

• Immigrant groups

• Children

• Pregnant women

• The elderly

• Vulnerable occupational groups

• Low income groups

• Persons living with disabilities or chronic diseases

We have experienced speakers that would be happy to share their knowledge. Dr. Claire Gervais has over ten years of experience in the intersection of climate and health. Email wehnmail@gmail.com to see if one of our physician’s is available for the date of your upcoming event.