[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 57 (Thursday, April 10, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E579]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      NATIONAL PUBLIC HEALTH WEEK

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                         HON. JOHN P. SARBANES

                              of maryland

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 10, 2008

  Mr. SARBANES. Madam Speaker, on the occasion of National Public 
Health Week, I rise today to focus attention on the effects of climate 
change on the health of the nation's most vulnerable citizens.
  Scientists from around the world have issued clear warnings that the 
Earth's temperature is rising as a result of the release of harmful 
greenhouse gases into the atmosphere by human activity. Climate change 
negatively affects the environment in a fundamental way. It affects the 
air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we eat, and it contributes 
to the spread of disease. Extreme weather events such as heat waves, 
drought, and stronger hurricanes further illustrate the dangers 
associated with climate change.
  Climate change looms large for everyone in our Nation, but it 
disproportionately impacts our Nation's vulnerable populations--
children, the elderly, the poor, and people diagnosed with chronic 
illness. These populations are not only most vulnerable to adverse 
health conditions as a result of climate change, they also lack the 
resources to mitigate the impact of these conditions on their daily 
lives.
  We must act now to prevent dangerous, irreversible warming of our 
planet and to ensure a promising future for other generations. That is 
why I have joined as a cosponsor of H. Res. 1081, recognizing the week 
of April 7, 2008 to April 13, 2008, as ``National Public Health Week'' 
and designating the theme of the week as ``Climate Change: Our Health 
in the Balance.'' I have also cosponsored legislation offered by 
Representative Henry Waxman that seeks to create a national framework 
for the reduction of greenhouse gases.
  I want to congratulate Representative Hilda Solis and Representative 
Waxman for putting forward these important bills and for drawing 
attention to the threat of global climate change on public health.

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