Climate Change Is a Health Problem

The debate is over; climate change is real. Further, the human health impacts of climate change are now being felt. The World Health Organization estimated that since 1990, climatic changes already have claimed at least 150,000 deaths and an additional 5.5 million years of life lost to premature death or lived with disabilities (2003). The human health impacts are certain to worsen, and the impacts will be felt most acutely by the world’s poor. Health philanthropy could make a significant difference in helping communities avoid the most severe impacts of climate change.