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Report: Climate Change Threatens Health

Climate Change and Health continued...

Costello says the health community is only now beginning to understand the widespread implications of global temperature change on human health.

"We definitely need more research into this," he says. "Health professionals have come late to the climate change debate."

He points out that the poorest 1 billion people on the planet use just 3% of its resources, but these are the people whose health will suffer most from climate change.

The report calls for the formation of an international coalition to study the health implications of global climate change.

"We've got about five years to get this sorted out," Costello says. "It is going to be very difficult and there will be huge political pressure not to do it. But if we don't make changes it could be catastrophic."