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Those who are potentially vulnerable (even dying) to climate change

We regularly read about climate change and the effect, on land, agriculture, the oceans, glaciers flora and fauna and the availability of water.   Now a new report asserts that many people will be vulnerable to the effects of our changing climate - deaths and hospitalisation.

"Global climate change will lead to hundreds of thousands of deaths and hospitalizations by 2030, a new federal report released Monday predicted, spurring the Obama administration to announce a series of new initiatives aimed at lessening that impact.

“This isn’t just about glaciers and the polar bears; it’s about the health of our family and our kids,” said Gina McCarthy, administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, one of eight U.S. agencies that contributed to the report. “To protect ourselves and future generations, we need to understand the health impacts of climate changes that are already happening and those we expect to see down the road.”

The report, the result of three years of research by nearly 100 health and science experts, attributed the likelihood of increased deaths and hospitalizations to more air pollution, extreme heat and severe weather brought on by climate change.

At-risk populations include children, the elderly, pregnant women and those who are ill or have disabilities, the report found.

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