"Prepared jointly by the World Health Organization, the World Meteorological Organization and the United Nations Environment Programme"--Preface. Includes bibliographical references and index.

Global climate change and health: an old story writ large -- Weather and climate: changing human exposures -- International consensus on the science of climate and health: the IPCC third assessment report -- Looking to the future: challenges for scientists studying climate change and health -- Impacts on health of climate extremes -- Climate change and infectious diseases -- How much disease could climate change cause? -- Stratospheric ozone depletion, ultraviolet radiation and health -- National assessments of health impacts of climate change: a review -- Monitoring the health effects of climate change -- Adaptation and adaptive capacity in the public health context -- From science to policy: developing responses to climate change -- Conclusions and recommendations for action. The world's climate system is an integral part of the complex of life-supporting processes. Climate and weather have always had a powerful impact on human health and well-being. But like other large natural systems, the global climate system is coming under pressure from human activities. Global climate change is, therefore, a newer challenge to ongoing efforts to protect human health. This volume seeks to describe the context and process of global climate change, its actual or likely impacts on health, and how human societies and their governments should respond, with particular focus on the health sector.