Download Climate Change Resolution - Tennessee Public Health Association

Resolution
of the Tennessee Public Health Association
to Minimize the Public Health Effect of Climate Change
WHEREAS, the mission of the Tennessee Public Health Association includes exercising leadership in health policy
development and to promote, protect, and improve the health of those living in, working, in, and visiting Tennessee;
WHEREAS, global climate change is linked to increased disease and premature deaths worldwide;1
WHEREAS, climate change may cause extreme weather events and changes in environmental conditions leading to an
increased mortality risk in the United States population; 2,3,4
WHEREAS, in the Southeast Atlantic hurricanes and other weather events are expected to last longer and be more
intense, producing increased damage to buildings and roads and contaminating water and food supplies;5,6
WHEREAS, the warmer, wetter climate projected for Tennessee as a result of climate change will likely create negative
health impacts, including an increase in disease-carrying insects, potentially increasing incidences of malaria, Lyme
disease, and dengue fever;7
WHEREAS, a warming climate threatens to shrink the nesting grounds of migratory birds, pushing the winter habitat of
northward out of Tennessee, resulting in a 10% loss of hunting revenues and over $80 million annually in direct and
indirect fiscal benefits; 7
WHEREAS, climate changes increase exposure to ground-level ozone and aeroallergens, exacerbating cardiovascular and
lung disease 8 and leading to an additional $187 million in asthma-related healthcare costs assuming a 30% increase in
asthma incidence alone;7
WHEREAS, densely populated urban areas and ecosystems (such as Nashville and Memphis) characterized by lack of
green space and disproportionate paved areas will experience increased temperatures and heat stress;9,7
WHEREAS, poverty confers increased susceptibility to climate-related health effects;10
WHEREAS, children, the elderly, pregnant women, and individuals with pre-existing medical conditions or limited
mobility and cognitive abilities are particularly vulnerable to climate change;11
WHEREAS, climate change will likely magnify health disparities12 due to a reduced ability to respond to environmental
stressors;
NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Tennessee Public Health Association supports federal, state, or local
policies that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and introduce potential health co-benefits including 1) transportation
policies and improved community designs that reduce dependence on automobile transport and increase the use of
walking, bicycling, and public transportation; as well as 2) agricultural policies and actions that support increased fruit
and vegetable production and consumption. 13
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution be provided to the members of the Tennessee General
Assembly and that copies of this resolution be spread upon the minutes of this association.
_____________________________
Robert Stolarick, DDS
President
______________________________
Doris Spain
Executive Director
________________________________
Marian Levy, Dr. P.H.
Chair, Resolutions Committee
References
1. Confalonieri, U., B. Menne, R. Akhtar, K.L. Ebi, M. Hauengue, R.S. Kovats, B. Revich, and A. Woodward. 2007.
Human health. In Climate Change 2007: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability. Contributing of Working Group II to the
Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. M.L. Parry, O.F. Canziani, J.P. Palutikof,
P.J. van der Linden. and C.E. Hanson, eds. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 391-431.
2. U.S Climate Change Science Program. 2008. Synthesis and Assessment Product 4.6: Analyses of the Effects of Global
Change on Human Health and Welfare and Human Systems: Third Review Draft for CCSP and CENR Clearance, April
2008. Washington, DC: U.S. Climate Change Science Program and the Subcommittee on Global Change Research.
3. Ebi, K.L., D.M. Mills, J.B. Smith, and A. Grambsch. 2006. Climate change and health impacts in the United States: An
update on the results of the U.S. National Assessment. Environmental Health Perspectives, 114:1318-1324.
4. Ebi et al. 2006, see note 3.
5. U.S. National Assessment of Climate Change, 2001
6. American Public Health Association. “Get the Facts: Climate Change is a Public Health Issue.”
http://www.apha.org/NR/rdonlyres/1E8BD4EE-2F47-40E3-9B5A-35EC23A2BC11/0/APHAClimateChg_11.pdf
(accessed May 26, 2009)
7. Center for Integrative Environmental Research. Economic Impacts of Climate Change on Tennessee. A Review and
Assessment Conducted by The Center for Integrative Environmental Research University of Maryland, September 2008.
8. Field, C.B., L.D. Mortsch, M. Brklacich, D.L. Forbes, P. Kovacs, J.A. Patz, S.W. Running, and M.J. Scott. 2007. North
America. In Climate Change 2007: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability. Contribution of Working Group II to the
Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. M.L. Parry, O.F. Canziani, J.P. Palutikoff,
P.J. van der Linden and C.E. Hanson, eds. UK: Cambridge University Press, 617-652.
9. U.S. Climate Change Science Program. 2008, see note 2.
10. U.S. Congress. 2006. Hurricane Katrina: A Nation Still Unprepared. U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security
and Governmental Affairs. Washington DC: 109th Congress, 2nd Session, S. Rept. 109-322
11. U.S. Climate Change Science Program. 2008, see note 2.
12. Patz, J.A., M.A. McGheehin, S.M. Bernard, K.L. Ebi, P.R. Epstein, A. Grambsch, D.J. Gubler, P. Reiter, I. Romieu,
J.B. Rose, J.M. Samet, and J. Trtanj. 2000. Potential consequences of climate variability and change for human health in
the United States. In Climate Change Impacts on the United States: The Potential Consequences of Climate Variability
and Change, National Assessment Synthesis Team, eds. U.S. Global Change Research Program. Cambridge, UK:
Cambridge University Press, 437-458.
13. American Public Health Association. Testimony of Georges C. Benjamin, MD, FACP, FACEP (Emeritus) Executive
Director, American Public Health Association House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Gl obal Warming
“Healthy Planet, Healthy People: Global Warming and Public Health” April 9, 2008.