The analysis found that by 2050 many U.S. cities may experience more frequent days where temperatures reached above 90 degrees. Such an increase could exacerbate a number of heat-related conditions, putting the most medically vulnerable at greater risk.
Also, cases of asthma and allergic diseases are likely to increase as a result of air pollutants from industrial emissions. Researchers anticipate climate change also will result in an increase in vector-borne infectious diseases such as West Nile virus and malaria.
As weather becomes more extreme, with more natural disasters such as floods, extreme heat and cold, tornadoes and hurricanes expected, researchers say there is a possibility of lower crop yields and more outbreaks of various crop diseases, resulting in food insecurity.
The release of the study comes as world leaders prepare to convene in New York City Tuesday for the United Nations climate change summit, an event that sparked a march Sunday with more than 300,000 protesters.
Experts have warned of the potential burden climate change could pose for the nation's health system. In a report released in June, a bipartisan coalition of former public leaders and business professionals found that heat stress resulted in more than 8,000 emergency department visits in 2009 and 2010 in the U.S.
Last May the federal government's National Climate Assessment estimated healthcare costs related to hospital admission for lung-related conditions at $6.5 billion a year.
Follow Steven Ross Johnson on Twitter: @MHsjohnson
