Health impacts will climb mountains
Recent studies have suggested that climate change will cause shifts in the regions where malaria will be best transmitted, said Lafferty.

"Climate change will lead to spatial shifts in the suitability of malaria transmission, with the total area in Africa becoming unsuitable for malaria matching or even exceeding the total area where malaria will become more suitable," he said.

Epstein spoke of cases in which higher altitudes become prone to infectious disease transmitted by mosquitoes.

"Mountains are key, because within 5 miles, it can change from desert to rain forest to glacier," said Epstein, of Harvard. The effects of climate change are seen at higher altitudes, he said, and those effects include temperature rise, receding glaciers, plant life at higher altitudes and an increase in mosquito incidence.

"They are the strongest signal of climate change," he said.

Gething, one of the authors of the paper, said that the purpose was to show that the issue is not about small changes in temperature and its resultant effects, but about the more potent effects of climate change.

Reprinted from Climatewire with permission from Environment & Energy Publishing, LLC. www.eenews.net, 202-628-6500

2 Comments

1. 1. Soccerdad 10:17 PM 5/21/10

   The claims of disaster caused by global warming have been overstated? I'm shocked. Shocked!

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2. 2. Special K 06:55 PM 5/31/10

   It's good to know that increased use of malaria-prevention techniques will tend to nullify increases in the mosquito population due to global warming. Logically such increased usage should be helpful regardless.

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