John Balbus, MD, MPH

Chief Health Scientist, Program Director

Health Program, Environmental Defense

After a highly successful National Public Health Week with the theme “Climate Change: Our Health in the Balance,” APHA and the Section’s Climate Change Committee have engaged in a series of activities aimed at improving public health preparedness and increasing awareness of health impacts during the growing debate on climate change policies.

In the middle of public health week, APHA president Georges Benjamin testified at a hearing before Representative Markey’s House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming on the health impacts of climate change.  He was joined in that hearing by Committee member Dr. Jonathan Patz.  The following week, Committee members Drs. Patz, Kristie Ebi and John Balbus testified before Senator Kennedy’s Health Education Labor and Pensions Committee on public health preparedness for climate change.

The hearings have been followed up by APHA efforts to introduce legislative language that would further the goals of reducing the public health threat from climate change.  Working with Representative Markey’s office, language for this year’s Appropriations bill would provide $11.1 million to the CDC for capacity building on climate change.  Senator Kennedy’s staff has drafted, with help from APHA, an amendment to the Lieberman-Warner climate bill that would provide a funding stream for research and public health preparedness. 

Environment Section members are encouraged to support both of these legislative efforts.

A report released by Environmental Defense Fund, the National Association of County and City Health Officials and George Mason University in April highlighted the gaps in public health preparedness for climate change and laid out a set of recommendations for addressing climate change health impacts.  The report, entitled “Are We Ready?  Preparing for the public health challenges of climate change” can be downloaded at http://edf.org/documents/7846_AreWeReady_April2008.pdf.

APHA signed on to comments prepared by a consortium led by John Balbus on incorporating health effects of climate change into the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the new fuel economy standards (CAFÉ) for cars and light trucks.  This is the first time the federal government has explicitly announced an intention to consider health effects of climate change in setting energy or transportation policy.  Section members can participate in reviewing the actual EIS when it comes out later this summer.

The groundswell of activity and interest in health effects of climate change is growing.  Efforts are under way to create a more organized coalition of groups working in this area, with APHA front and center in that effort.  Stay tuned.