Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Fielding School of Public Health, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095.
Department of Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2024 Aug 6;121(32):e2310081121. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2310081121. Epub 2024 Jul 29.
California faces several serious direct and indirect climate exposures that can adversely affect public health, some of which are already occurring. The public health burden now and in the future will depend on atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations, underlying population vulnerabilities, and adaptation efforts. Here, we present a structured review of recent literature to examine the leading climate risks to public health in California, including extreme heat, extreme precipitation, wildfires, air pollution, and infectious diseases. Comparisons among different climate-health pathways are difficult due to inconsistencies in study design regarding spatial and temporal scales and health outcomes examined. We find, however, that the current public health burden likely affects thousands of Californians each year, depending on the exposure pathway and health outcome. Further, while more evidence exists for direct and indirect proximal health effects that are the focus of this review, distal pathways (e.g., impacts of drought on nutrition) are more uncertain but could add to this burden. We find that climate adaptation measures can provide significant health benefits, particularly in disadvantaged communities. We conclude with priority recommendations for future analyses and solution-driven policy actions.
加利福尼亚州面临着几种严重的直接和间接的气候风险，这些风险可能会对公共健康产生不利影响，其中一些风险已经在发生。目前和未来的公共健康负担将取决于大气温室气体浓度、潜在的人口脆弱性和适应努力。在这里，我们对最近的文献进行了结构化综述，以检查加利福尼亚州公共健康面临的主要气候风险，包括极端高温、极端降水、野火、空气污染和传染病。由于研究设计在时空尺度和所检查的健康结果方面存在不一致，因此不同气候-健康途径之间的比较具有一定难度。然而，我们发现，根据暴露途径和健康结果的不同，当前的公共健康负担可能每年会影响数千名加利福尼亚人。此外，虽然有更多的证据表明是直接和间接的近端健康影响是本综述的重点，但远端途径（例如，干旱对营养的影响）则更不确定，但可能会加重这一负担。我们发现，气候适应措施可以带来显著的健康益处，特别是在弱势群体社区。最后，我们提出了未来分析和解决方案驱动的政策行动的优先建议。
