Indirect impacts of climate change

Rising Sea Levels Could Displace Millions of Coastal Residents Heavily Populated Delta Regions That Are Vulnerable to Sea Level Rise Source: World Health Organization (WHO), Climate Change and Human Health, A.J. McMichael, et al., eds. (WHO, Geneva, 1996), Figures 7.3, p. 155.

Beyond actual inundation, a rising sea level would put millions of people at greater risk of occasional storm-related flooding. Under current conditions, about 46 million coastal residents experience some flooding from storms each year. The number at risk from flooding would double if sea level rises 0.5 meters and nearly triple with a 1-meter rise, according to one study. In an area like Bangladesh, where storm surges can reach as far as 200 kilometers inland during some intense cyclones, the increase in flood risk could greatly magnify the already high toll associated with such storms. Coastal erosion would also increase substantially, endangering natural protective features such as sand dunes, mangroves, and barrier islands, and exacerbating the flood risk [284].

Climate change could influence air pollution profiles and the health effects that come from exposure to polluted air by altering the rate of chemical reactions in the atmosphere that form or destroy pollutants, or by influencing the factors such as wind and precipitation that regulate how pollutants accumulate or disperse. For example, higher temperatures favor the formation of pollutants like ground-level ozone the main constituent of smog. Preliminary calculations by U.S. EPA show that a 4