WHO Warns Climate Change Bad For Health

World Health Organization Director-General Margaret Chan says she is disappointed a deal on climate change was not struck in Copenhagen. But she says important steps were taken that, she believes, will ultimately result in an agreement to stop or retard climate change.

She says the relationship between climate change and health is obvious. For example, she says millions of people will suffer from either too much water or too little water under climate change.

Chan says extensive flooding may lead to loss of life from drowning and disease. She says contaminated floodwaters can cause fatal illnesses, such as diarrhea and cholera.

On the other hand, she says some areas will have too little water and prolonged drought will affect the kind of crops people normally grow.

Voice of America