PUBLIC HEALTH POLICY ANALYSIS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

PUBLIC HEALTH POLICY ANALYSIS - Essay Example California should seek corporation from the national government and other counties in developing laws on global warming, consider possible unemployment due to the law, and incorporate health professionals in refining the bill. The legislature, as an arm of the government, makes laws that govern a jurisdiction and that may be specific to a sector, such as the health sector, or may affect multiple sectors. An understanding of contents, possible intended and unintended effects, stakeholders, and divergent views over a proposed law is important to life of a bill or a law. Below is a discussion of California Assembly Bill 21, based on these aspects. The bill associates global warming with public health concerns. It recognizes direct effects of global warming such as poor quality of air, reduced quality, and quantity of supplied water, and rise in sea level and these have caused health problems such as infectious and respiratory diseases. Consequences of global warming, such as damaged marine system and threat to biodiversity, also contribute to incidence of infectious and respiratory infections (California AB. 21, 2014). About 881500 children and more than two million adults in California suffers from asthma per year and ragweed that affects 9 counties and high smog levels that affect 31 counties are factors. Ninety percent of the state’s population also lives under polluted air. Air pollution due to wildfires, a factor to the respiratory condition, is also significant and is expected to rise by more than 50 percent. Incidences of Dengue Fever (35 between the year 1995 and the year 2005), West Nile virus (2982 cases betw een the years 1999 and 2010), and Lyme disease (2370 cases between the years 1990 and 2008) have been reported in the state. There is high risk of water shortage in 83 percent of California and dry condition has increased chances of wildfire. High sea level that have led to sewer