What Are the Implications of Climate Change for Public Health?

• This video describes how increasing temperatures and heavier rains are connected to numerous health risks, including making it more difficult to access care. 
• The potential physical and mental impacts are detailed, with special emphasis given to the most vulnerable groups, including the elderly, young children, and those with chronic health conditions. 

Positives

• The video includes the mental health concerns (like stress and depression) associated with navigating extreme weather events.

Additional Prerequisites

• Although the video was created with New Jersey in mind, the content applies generally to the United States and any location experiencing increasing temperatures and heavier rainfall.
• Students will get the most out of this video if they are already familiar with how climate change is increasing temperatures and changing rainfall patterns.

Differentiation

• This resource could be incorporated into science lessons related to the impacts of climate change, the effects of changing precipitation patterns, and the spread of human diseases.
• Health classes could use this video when discussing health conditions like asthma, cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, and water-borne and vector-borne illnesses.
• Because this resource includes mental health effects, it connects well to social-emotional learning, and could be used to start a conversation about the stress or anxiety that learning about and experiencing climate change may cause.
• Other resources related to the health effects of climate change include the ebook The Climate Crisis and Your Health, the library of images Health, the article American Lung Association | Protect Yourself and Your Community, and the scientific paper Understanding the Health Harms of Climate Change: A Six Americas Analysis.

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