Climate change and air quality can affect health

By DICK RESCH

Contributor

The United Nations recently released a 2,000-plus-page report on climate change with a straightforward conclusion — global temperatures are rising, and human activity is the primary cause.

The report’s 259 authors warn that catastrophic heat waves, droughts, and floods will grow more common unless governments take steps to limit greenhouse gas emissions. But there are serious political limits to what governments can do — especially with the global economy flagging.

Fortunately, some private firms are picking up the slack — even notorious emitters like manufacturers. B...