Climate Change and Public Health

Our planet has an abundance of life, thanks in part to the blanket of greenhouse gases that capture enough of the sun’s rays to support life and release even more gases. The blanket moderates the earth’s temperature, keeping it stable. Without this blanket, the earth would be like the moon, where temperatures range from -260o F on the dark side to 260o F on the side facing the sun. This delicate balance, however, is being affected by the rising rates of carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gases—methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O) and chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs).

Emissions of these gases, including from human sources, have risen during the past 100 years, and especially in the past 20 years. The emission rates correspond with rising global surface temperatures. As the earth warms due to climate change, governments at all levels—national and international, state and local—may debate policies that address rising temperatures.