Climate change already impacting Nebraskans health

By Omaha World Herald

DWFI Director of Water, Climate and Health Jesse Bell was interviewed for a story by the Omaha World Herald on the impact of climate change on human health.

Climate change is the single biggest health threat facing humanity, according to the World Health Organization.

From flooding to drought to infectious diseases, the adverse health effects of climate change already are evident in Nebraska, said Jesse Bell, a nationally recognized authority on climate change and health. He is a director of UNMC’s Water, Climate and Health Program.

“As you project it forward, those changes will only get greater,” he said. “If we don’t understand the potential impacts, it’s going to make us less prepared for the future.”
And while all are vulnerable to health impacts associated with climate change, Bell said, some people are more at risk than others — children, the elderly, low-income people, communities of color and rural residents.

“We still have a lot of work to do in understanding the impacts of climate (change) on human health, especially in places like Nebraska,” Bell said. “A lot of times, we’re overlooked or potentially neglected when we’re talking about the impacts of climate change, especially on human health in this part of the country.”

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