CDC STATEMENT ON CO2 HEALTH RISKS HEIGHTENS PRESSURE FOR EPA FINDING

摘要

An official from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) told House lawmakers earlier this week that there is a solid scientific case for calling climate change a public health threat, comments that underscore continuing pressure on EPA to acknowledge the health risks of global warming when the agency eventually issues a finding on the risks of climate change. At an April 9 hearing by the House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming, several members including Rep. Jay Inslee (D-WA) asked Dr. Howard Frumkin, director of CDC's National Center for Environmental Health, whether climate change posed a public health threat. In both written and oral testimony, Frumkin denied that his views reflect an opinion on pending EPA regulatory decisions, but argued that the science shows greenhouse gases are a threat to health. "The science is clear that CO2 [carbon dioxide] does contribute to climate change and...climate change poses a number of public health challenges," Frumkin said.