Panos G. Georgopoulos, professor in the Rutgers School of Public Health’s Department of Environmental and Occupational Health and Justice, participated in the development of the Fifth National Climate Assessment over the past three years.
The assessment is the U.S. Government’s preeminent report on climate change impacts, risk, and responses. It was released by President Biden on November 15, 2023. The report is mandated by Congress and assesses changes in climate, its national and regional impacts, and options for reducing present and future risk.
“Climate change is projected to worsen air quality in many U.S. regions, thereby harming human health and increasing premature death,” says Georgopoulos, who is also the director of the Computational Chemodynamics Laboratory at the Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute.
The report has received praise by many for its focus on justice and the breadth of analysis. According to Inside Climate News, this is the first time the report has heavily emphasized the concept of environmental justice. NPR mentions this assessment is “the most sweeping, sophisticated federal analysis of climate change compiled to date.”
“Extreme heat events, which can lead to high concentrations of air pollution, are projected to increase in severity and frequency, and the risk of exposure to airborne dust and wildfire smoke will increase with warmer and drier conditions in some regions,” adds Georgopoulos, who contributed to the assessment’s Air Quality section. “Human-caused climate change has already caused some regions to experience longer pollen seasons and higher pollen concentrations, and these trends are expected to continue.”
The assessment emphasizes the fact that “air pollution disproportionately affects communities of color and low-income communities, and actions can be focused on increasing equity despite climate hazards,” concludes Georgopoulos. “Coordinated actions can sharply reduce greenhouse gas emissions while greatly improving air quality and health.”
