Yale report details climate change’s harsh impact on Connecticut

Climate change is having a deleterious effect on Connecticut”™s socioeconomic wellness, according to a 100-page report issued by Yale School of Public Health”™s Center on Climate Change and Health.

The report detailed 19 indicators divided between four categories: temperature, extreme events, infectious diseases and air quality. Among the major findings was the dramatic increase in federal disaster declarations for weather-related events in the past decade ”“ nine between 2010 and 2019, compared with 13 in the previous 56 years ”“ and the determination that seven of Connecticut”™s 16 Superfund sites are vulnerable to the effects of climate change, including flooding and hurricane storm surge.

Furthermore, the report noted that 28 mosquito species found in Connecticut between 2001 and 2019 carried viruses that cause human disease, with 10 showing trends of increasing abundance. The report also pointed out that the American Lung Association gave all eight Connecticut counties an F grade for ozone pollution in its 2019 State of the Air Report.

“We found disturbing trends in all categories,” said Laura Bozzi, the center”™s director of programs and the report”™s lead author. “This report provides policymakers, health professionals, advocates and the general public with the information they need to take timely action to protect public health.”