BALTIMORE - Inspired by what they see as an increasing number of illnesses, injuries and deaths related to global warming, a growing number of nurses are rallying for a reduction in carbon dioxide emissions, and an end to global warming.

Calling it a form of "preventive medicine" they argue,  "Stop carbon dioxide emissions and global warming and the risk of severe heat waves and tropical storms will diminish."

"Nurses are becoming engaged and involved and concerned," one said. "It's a big thing to ask, but nurses are getting it."

"We are the ones who are taking care of people who have these kind of diseases that are being exacerbated or even receiving injuries directly from climate change," another RN said.
The American Medical Association recently passed a resolution to explore climate change but has taken no definitive stance on the issue.

Citing Hurricane Katrina in 2005 as prime evidence that global warming is a problem that should be of concern to nurses. Nurses simply cannot respond to such large-scale disasters adequately, they said, so a different solution needs to be considered, a solution that addresses global warming.

Nurses also point to Europe's 2003 heat wave, as well as excessively hot summers that lead to more heat-related deaths and emergency room visits.

The summers of 2002, 2005 and 2006 saw 50, 47 and 42 heat-related deaths, respectively, in Maryland, according to data from the state Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. In 2001, 2003 and 2004, there were 11, 3 and 5 heat-related deaths. This year, 13 people have died of heat-related illnesses.