Despite recent wet weather in parts of California, the state remains in the grips of the worst drought on record. Scientists tell us that we can expect to see increased frequency and severity of droughts throughout the Southwest and California, as climate change unfolds.
In a recent guest editorial in the Sacramento Bee, the Public Health Institute’s Dr. Linda Rudolph looks at the drought’s serious health implications for the people of California. In the Bee, and in an interview with Capital Public Radio, Rudolph considers the health impacts of current and future droughts, and urges both long-term, health-oriented solutions, and addressing the immediate water needs of the communities hardest hit by the current drought.
Sacramento Bee: Viewpoints: Action needed to protect health during drought and dry days ahead
Capital Public Radio: Health Experts: Drought Poses Health Risks
California Healthline: State Plagued by Bad Air, Scant Water
Linda Rudolph, MD, MPH is the co-director of PHI’s Center for Climate Change & Health, and co-leads the Center’s Creating a Climate for Health project.