Oct. 26, 2007 – 5:19 p.m.
Material deleted by the White House from congressional testimony this week on the public health impact of global warming included statements that climate change is a serious public health concern, that its health effects remain “largely unaddressed,” and that “many Americans will likely experience difficult challenges,” according to a Senate committee.
Other statements edited out of the testimony by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director
Gerberding’s Oct. 23 testimony before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee” was heavily edited during the review process coordinated by the White House’s Office of Management and Budget,” said Sen.
A document identified as draft CDC testimony released by Boxer’s office includes paragraph after paragraph of lined out material. A CDC spokesman declined to either confirm or deny the authenticity of material identified by the committee majority as deleted. The spokesman, Tom Skinner, said that despite the impression created by media reports about the edits, Gerberding was able to fully express her views in oral testimony before the panel and that she said everything she wanted and needed to say on the issue. Gerberding told a press luncheon the day after her testimony, "I feel very confident we had a completely honest conversation" with lawmakers. She called press coverage about the edited material "the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard."
The final version of Gerberding’s testimony does not dispute that “climate change” will lead to ill health effects. But it refers to such effects largely in general terms and emphasizes CDC tracking systems that will help deal with the possibility of ill effects. John Marburger, director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, said in a statement Friday that the editing changes were needed because of an “overall lack of precision” in assertions made by the original draft. Changes also were needed to assure its consistency with the current state of climate science, he added.
Lined-out statements included the following:
• “Scientific evidence supports the view that the earth’s climate is changing. A broad array of organizations ... is working to address climate change. Despite this extensive activity, the public health effects of climate change remain largely unaddressed. CDC considers climate change a serious public health concern.”
• Health effects are expected to be less severe than in the developing world. “Nevertheless, many Americans will likely experience difficult challenges. Catastrophic weather events such as heat waves and hurricanes are expected to become more frequent, severe, and costly; the U.S. population is anticipated to continue to age and move to vulnerable locations such as coastal areas, increasing exposures to specific risks; and concurrent challenges such as water scarcity in certain regions could limit our resilience ...”
• “One of the most likely climate change projections is an increase in frequency of hot days, hot nights, and heat waves. The United States is expected to see an increase in the severity, duration, and frequency of extreme heat waves. This, coupled with an aging population, increases the likelihood of higher mortality as the elderly are more vulnerable to dying from exposure to excessive heat. Midwestern and northeastern cities are at greatest risk, as heat-related illness and death appear to be related to exposure to temperatures much hotter than those to which the population is accustomed.”
• “Future climate projections also show likely increases in the frequency of heavy rainfall events, posing an increased risk of flooding events and overwhelming of sanitation infrastructure.”
• “Some studies have shown that higher surface temperatures, especially in urban areas, encourage the formation of ground level ozone...Ozone can irritate the respiratory system, reduce lung function, aggravate asthma, and inflame and damage cells that line the lungs.”
• “Changes in precipitation, temperature, humidity, and water salinity have been shown to affect the quality of water used for drinking, recreation, and commercial use.”
• Ecological changes stemming from climate change could “alter the range, seasonality, and human incidence of many ... diseases,” including Lyme disease, West Nile virus, and make it easier for “exotic vector-borne” diseases to spread to the United States.
• Climate change could cause changes in agricultural production. “This may lead to scarcity of some foods, increase food prices, and threaten access to food for Americans who experience food insecurity.”
• “Some populations of Americans are more vulnerable to the health effects of climate change than others. Children are at greater risk of worsening asthma, allergies, and certain infections diseases...”
The material removed also identifies particular areas of the country as being at greater risk, and also certain populations, such as minorities, because of where they live and their socioeconomic status.
White House Press Secretary Dana Perino said earlier this week the edits were made because of inconsistencies between the draft testimony and the work of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which was convened by the United Nations Environment Program and the World Meteorological Organization. Boxer countered that statement by releasing an analysis pointing to IPCC conclusions she said were consistent with the deleted material (See related story, CQ HealthBeat, Oct. 25, 2007).
However, Marburger said Friday there were “important differences.” The IPPC research does not provide a basis “for a link between hurricane frequency and climate change,” he asserted. Instead, the IPPC refers to hurricane intensity and talks about some weather events becoming more frequent — a reference, Marburger said “that may be accurately applied to certain weather events, but not, based on current science, to hurricanes.” He also said the draft testimony’s reference to food shortages does not “reflect the full and complex consideration of agricultural impacts” in IPPC working group reports.
• Marburger statement
• Document Identified as CDC Draft with Deleted Material