sharon sanders
Editor-in-Chief & President
Health Effects of Climate Change in the UK
"....It is now perhaps even more clear than it was in 2002 that the climate of the UK is changing. The latest models used in this report, predict an increase of mean annual temperature in the UK of between 2.5 and 3 degrees Centigrade by the end of the century. Periods of very cold weather will become less common, but periods of very hot weather (heatwaves) will become more common. Application of the epidemiological concept of ‘attributable risk’ to meteorological data allows us to assess the extent to which human influence on climate has contributed to the risk of a specific weather event. Using this approach, a significant role for human influence can already be identified in, for example, the European summer heatwave of 2003 which contributed to over 14,000 premature deaths in France. Changes in wind and rainfall are less certain but periods of sudden heavy rain seem likely to become more common despite a possible reduction in annual rainfall in some areas. Flooding is an increasing risk. We know rather little of the total effects on health of flooding..."
"....It is now perhaps even more clear than it was in 2002 that the climate of the UK is changing. The latest models used in this report, predict an increase of mean annual temperature in the UK of between 2.5 and 3 degrees Centigrade by the end of the century. Periods of very cold weather will become less common, but periods of very hot weather (heatwaves) will become more common. Application of the epidemiological concept of ‘attributable risk’ to meteorological data allows us to assess the extent to which human influence on climate has contributed to the risk of a specific weather event. Using this approach, a significant role for human influence can already be identified in, for example, the European summer heatwave of 2003 which contributed to over 14,000 premature deaths in France. Changes in wind and rainfall are less certain but periods of sudden heavy rain seem likely to become more common despite a possible reduction in annual rainfall in some areas. Flooding is an increasing risk. We know rather little of the total effects on health of flooding..."