Six Climate Change–Related Events In The United States Accounted For About $14 Billion In Lost Lives And Health Costs
- Kim Knowlton ( [email protected] ) is a senior scientist in the Health and Environment Program at the Natural Resources Defense Council in New York City.
- Miriam Rotkin-Ellman is a staff scientist in the Health and Environment Program at the Natural Resources Defense Council in San Francisco, California.
- Linda Geballe is a student at Boalt Law School, at the University of California, Berkeley.
- Wendy Max is a professor of health economics and codirector of the Institute for Health and Aging at the University of California, San Francisco.
- Gina M. Solomon is an associate clinical professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco.
Abstract
The future health costs associated with predicted climate change–related events such as hurricanes, heat waves, and floods are projected to be enormous. This article estimates the health costs associated with six climate change–related events that struck the United States between 2000 and 2009. The six case studies came from categories of climate change–related events projected to worsen with continued global warming—ozone pollution, heat waves, hurricanes, infectious disease outbreaks, river flooding, and wildfires. We estimate that the health costs exceeded $14 billion, with 95 percent due to the value of lives lost prematurely. Actual health care costs were an estimated $740 million. This reflects more than 760,000 encounters with the health care system. Our analysis provides scientists and policy makers with a methodology to use in estimating future health costs related to climate change and highlights the growing need for public health preparedness.
