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Chalupka Co-Writes a Chapter to Book about Environment and Health

Stephanie Chalupka (Nursing) co-wrote a chapter, “Climate and Health,” in Environmental & Health in the 21st Century (edited by D. Ferguson & K. Fisher, Eds.) published by Kendall Hunt. Her co-author is Laura Anderko of Georgetown University.

Chalupka’s chapter covers how changes in the greenhouse gas concentrations and other drivers alter the global climate and bring about myriad human health consequences. Environmental consequences of climate change, such as extreme heat waves, rising sea levels, changes in precipitation resulting in flooding and droughts, intense hurricanes, and degraded air quality, affect directly and indirectly the physical, social, and psychological health of humans.

For instance, changes in precipitation are creating changes in the availability and quantity of water, as well as resulting in extreme weather events such as intense hurricanes and flooding. Climate change can be a driver of disease migration, as well as exacerbate health effects resulting from the release of toxic air pollutants in vulnerable populations such as children, the elderly, and those with asthma or cardiovascular disease.