Climate Change, Public Health, and the Law

Presents comprehensively the currently un-mapped constellation of issues related to climate change, public health, and the law.

Michael Burger (Edited by), Justin Gundlach (Edited by)

9781108417624, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 25 October 2018

468 pages
23.5 x 15.7 x 3 cm, 0.8 kg

'Overall, the way the book is structured and presented is laudable, as it provides a clear understanding of how climate change affects public health, what the legal implications of those impacts are and how the existing laws could be improved. It reveals a sobering fact that the current US regulatory system is unprepared to adequately address all the challenges. It also demonstrates that much needs to be done in order to improve the situation, as multiple factors have to be considered when integrating the response to public health threats posed by climate change into the existing legal framework.' Samvel Varvastian, Review of European, Comparative and International Environmental Law

Climate Change, Public Health, and the Law provides the first comprehensive explication of the dynamic interactions between climate change, public health law, and environmental law, both in the United States and internationally. Responding to climate change and achieving public health protections each require the coordination of the decisions and behavior of large numbers of people. However, they also involve interventions that risk compromising individual rights. The challenges involved in coordinating large-scale responses to public health threats and protecting against the invasion of rights, makes the law indispensable to both of these agendas. Written for the benefit of public health and environmental law professionals and policymakers in the United States and in the international public health sector, this volume focuses on the legal components of pursuing public health goals in the midst of a changing climate. It will help facilitate efforts to develop, improve, and carry out policy responses at the international, federal, state, and local levels.

Part I. Introduction: 1. Introduction and overview Michael Burger and Justin Gundlach
2. Duty to protect public health from the impacts of climate change Michael Burger
3. Public health sector's challenges and responses Jill Krueger and Colleen Healy Boufides
Part II. Cross-Cutting Issues: 4. Government speech and the first amendment: what the government may say about climate change and public health risks David C. Vladeck
5. Disease surveillance Jason Smith and Chandra Ganesh
6. The built environment Justin Gundlach and Jennifer Klein
Part III. Impacts and Interventions: 7. Heat Sara Hoverter
8. Extreme coastal storm events, sea level rise, storm surge, and ocean acidification as public health threats Robin Kundis Craig
9. Infectious disease Lindsay F. Wiley
10. Food security and food sovereignty in climate change adaptation Margot Pollans
11. Migration Maxine Burkett
Part IV. Interplay with International and Domestic Environmental Law: 12. International impacts and responses William Onzivu
13. How existing environmental laws respond to climate change and its mitigation Justin Gundlach
14. Incorporating public health assessments into climate change action Jessica Wentz.

Subject Areas: Medical & healthcare law [LNTM], Public health & safety law [LNTJ], Social law [LNT], Transport law [LNKT], Nature Conservation law [LNKN], Environment law [LNKJ], Environment, transport & planning law [LNK], International environmental law [LBBP], Law & society [LAQ], Law [L]