Climate change is negatively impacting human health in several ways. Burning fossil fuels releases carbon dioxide that is trapping heat in the atmosphere, causing the planet to warm. This is exacerbating air pollution like wildfire smoke and ozone, triggering asthma attacks. Higher temperatures also increase the growth and spread of allergens and molds. Warming leads to more extreme weather like heat waves and flooding, spreading waterborne illnesses. Reducing emissions through climate action could prevent hundreds of thousands of premature deaths and cases of heart disease, diabetes and cancer each year.

1. Health Effects of Climate
ChangeTHE CLIMATE
AND
YOUR HEALTH

2. Carbon is the building block of life
CHOCOLATE CHOLESTEROL
ALCOHOLSTARCH

3. EVERYTHING THAT WAS EVER
ALIVE HAS CARBON IN IT

4. Burning releases carbon into the
air as carbon dioxide (CO2).

5. Earth can only absorb half. The rest
is building up in our atmosphere

6. where it blankets our planet,
trapping heat from the sun.

7. Bakersfield, CA
AIR

8. WILDFIRE
YARNELL HILL, AZ JULY 2013

9. WILDFIRE SMOKE
TRIGGERS ASTHMA ATTACKS AND INCREASES ER VISITS

10. INHALED BY PREGNANT WOMEN: LOWERS BIRTH WEIGHTS

11. SMOKE TRAVELS FAR
FIRE IN NEW MEXICO SMOKE IN
DENVER, CO MEMORIAL DAY 2012

12. OZONE

13. IRRITATES THE LUNGS

14. CAUSES ASTHMA IN ACTIVE KIDS

15. POLLEN
MORE FOR LONGER

16. MOLD
CAUSES ASTHMA AND TRIGGERS
ATTACKS

17. ALLERGY AND ASTHMA
HAVE TRIPLED
von Hertzen L, Hanski I, Haahtela T. Natural Immunity. EMBO Reports 12:1089–1093, 2011

18. HOT DRY WEATHER INCREASES
CHILDREN’S BLOOD LEAD
Laidlaw. Environ Health Perspect. 2005 June; 113(6): 793–800.

19. HALF A MILLION US KIDS
HAVE BRAIN DAMAGE FROM LEAD

20. NOBLESVILLE, IN
WATER

21. BLUE BABY FROM
NITRATE IN DRINKING WATER

22. COMBINED SEWER OVERFLOW
PITTSBURGH, PA
ALLEGHENY RIVER

23. LEPTOSPIROSIS passes from wild animals
and livestock to humans and pets when urine
washes into puddles and flood waters

24. BLUE GREEN ALGAE BLOOMS

25. BLUE GREEN ALGAE TOXINS
CAUSE HEPATITIS AND LIVER CANCER
CAN KILL DOGS AND SMALL CHILDREN

26. AMOEBIC MENINGITIS
2010 2012
Lilly Lake, Stillwater MN

27. FOOD

28. AFLATOXIN

29. CROP MYCOTOXIN MAP 10/12

30. MERCURY AND
PCBS

31. If we don't cut our emissions in half by 2030,
global temperature will rise 8 degrees by 2100
and stay that way for 1,000 years.

32. A HEALTHY PRESCRIPTION
For Climate Action

33. 20,000 HEART ATTACKS
PREVENTED
23,000 DEATHS EACH YEAR

34. 10,000 COLON CANCERS
215,000 HEART ATTACKS PREVENTED
570,000 NEW DIABETES CASES EACH YEAR

35. 300,000 HEART ATTACKS/STROKES
PREVENTED
260,000 NEW DIABETES CASES EACH YEAR
144,000 CANCER DEATHS

36. CLIMATE911.ORG
Healthy People = Healthy Planet