FALMOUTH, Maine - At a White House summit Tuesday, the U.S. Surgeon General, Dr. Vivek Murthy, announced that climate change is now being considered a public health risk.
This was welcome news to some Maine physicians and health professionals who have their own concerns about the effects of climate change.
At a press conference In Falmouth, Tina Pettingill, executive director of the Maine Public Health Association, says too many people view climate change as an environmental threat in the distant future--not a current health issue.
"Climate change is no longer about polar bears in the arctic or dust storms on a far away continent," Pettingill said. "Climate change is happening right here, right now and the people of Maine are already feeling the effects."
In 2014, the surgeon general made a similar statement about skin cancer.