01/16 Medics:Climate Change Will Increase Infectious Disease

[the.greenbase@green2.greenpeace.org]

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Original-TO:      World Press (Green2:Green2:Gnl:INET)
Original-Cc:      The Greenbase (Green2:Green2:Gnl:Main)
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                    GREENPEACE PRESS RELEASE
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>> Top Medics: Climate Change Will Accelerate the Emergence of
Infectious Diseases
 
WASHINGTON, DC, January 16, 1996 (GP) Medical experts have
confirmed that changes in global climate due to the burning of
oil, coal and gas and the release of ozone-depleting chemicals
are likely to accelerate the already unprecedented emergence of
infectious diseases. 
 
Today at the US National Press Club, the Journal of the
American Medical Association (JAMA) and Johns Hopkins
University School of Hygiene and Public Health released
"Global Climate Change and Emerging Infectious Diseases" which
confirms earlier reports from the world's most eminent
scientists on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
(IPCC). The JAMA study outlines global climate change and its
effect on the emergence of infectious diseases, and analyzes
the direct and indirect effects of climate change on
water-borne infectious and toxin-related illnesses, such as
cholera and shellfish poisoning.
 
The JAMA study confirms the December conclusion of the 2,500
experts on the IPCC that: "Climate change is likely to have
wide ranging and mostly adverse impacts on human health, with
significant loss of life." They also concluded, "The balance
of evidence suggests a discernable human influence on global

climate." 
 
The new emerging infectious disease study explores possible
compounding effects of global climate change and immune
suppression caused by increasing levels of ultraviolet-B
radiation (UV-B) striking the earth due to depletion of the
earth's protective ozone layer.
 
"Scientists have already warned us that climate change  may
supercharge the depletion of the ozone layer," said John
Passacantando, Executive Director of the Washington, DC-based
environmental group Ozone Action. "However, we must now also
consider that as depletion worsens over populated areas, more
UV-B radiation-induced immune suppression in humans may worsen
the impact of increased infectious disease transmission due to
climate change."
 
The JAMA study indicates that the geographic distribution of
insect-borne and other infectious disease is
disproportionately felt in the developing countries of the
tropics an subtropics.  Mosquito-borne diseases such as
malaria, dengue, yellow fever, encephalitis and other viruses
are extremely sensitive to climatic fluctuations.  The recent
climate-related emergence of a new hantavirus in the United
States demonstrates that developed countries can fall prey to
emerging microbes.
 
"The health impacts of climate change caused by burning coal,
oil and gas are clearly dangerous and unacceptable," said
Erwin Jackson, Climate Impacts Specialist from Greenpeace
International. "These startling and alarming findings must
urgently be followed action to reduce emissions of greenhouse
gases in order to avoid these impacts.  Governments must stop
procrastinating otherwise they risk delaying action until it
is too late."
 
Greenpeace said that throughout the developed world emissions
continue to rise in spite of the existing commitments in the
UN Climate Convention to stabilize emissions at 1990 levels by
the year 2000.  At the  negotiations underway to develop
further agreements on  emissions most Governments are delaying
and prevaricating  under pressure from the oil and coal
industry and from Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.  
 
Mr Jackson recently published an article in the Medical
Journal of Australia that identifies climatic changes as a
causative factor behind changes in the distribution of disease
carriers and agents in Europe, Africa, Asia, Latin America and

Australia.
 
 
For More Information Contact: 
Kalee Kreider                 Erwin Jackson 
OZONE ACTION                  GREENPEACE international 
work +1 (202) 265-6738        work +61 (2) 211-4066
home +1 (202) 265-0979        fax +61 (2) 211-4123
fax +1 (202) 986-6041         mobile +61 (4111) 79529
kkreider@essential.org        erwinj@mail.peg.apc.org

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