Dr. Ali Khan, Dean of the College of public Health at UNMC, will present the next Omaha Science Caféon Tuesday, May 10th.
The focus of his talk will be on the health-related effects of climate change.
Khan says we can expect increased temperatures, changes in rainfall, rising sea levels and more extreme weather events.
He says some of the health problems these climate issue may lead to include an increase in the prevalence of heart and lung disease, more people getting heat-related illnesses and changes in diseases that depend on mosquitos and ticks.
Khan says there are three things he would like people to take away from his presentation.
"The first is we are seeing the effects of climate change now, so this isn’t a 2050 or 2100 issue, it’s an issue today of the changes we are seeing in infectious diseases and other illnesses due to climate change. The second is that climate change affects everybody and finally, we need to be prepared, we aren’t helpless…”
Khan says there are things we can do in terms of mitigation and adaptation to make sure that we are ready for the effects of climate change.
He says in Nebraska, temperatures are projected to increase by 4 to 5 degrees with a low scenario of continued emissions by the end of the 21st century.
Dr. Ali Khan’s presentation takes place next Tuesday at 7:00 p.m. in the Slowdown, at 729 N. 14th Street.