Al Gore: Still demented after all these years

Let’s assume, for the sake of argument, that the alarmists are correct: Climate change will make all infectious disease worse. Since the climate has been warming, we would expect to see a disease like malaria killing more and more people. But that’s not happening.

The Lancet reports that, after a spike in malaria deaths (entirely in Africa), the number of global malaria deaths has fallen by 32% from 2004 to 2010. Outside of Africa, the number of malaria deaths has fallen nearly 80% since 1980. So even if it is true that climate change could make malaria worse, actual data does not support that assertion because it appears as if the sustained global health campaign against malaria is working.

Cholera is another disease that some scientists believe will get worse as the planet warms. Mr. Gore warned, “Cholera likes warmer water.” True. But cholera wouldn’t be a problem at all if people didn’t defecate in their drinking water. Regardless of the temperature outside, the real cause of cholera is poor sanitation and inadequate infrastructure, such as water treatment facilities. That’s why public health officials worry about cholera outbreaks following natural disasters, which can contaminate the water supply.

Similarly, any potential link between climate change and allergies, respiratory disease, and cancer is mostly theoretical. Even if the absolute worst is true — that a warmer Earth will exacerbate all of these problems — the underlying causes still exist. The increase in allergies and childhood asthma, for example, is likely due to excessive cleanliness (known as the “hygiene hypothesis”).