How will human health be impacted by a changing climate? The answer is rather startling according to a first-of-its-kind report issued this week.

The U.S. Global Change Research Program concluded that air quality will be degraded due to rising temperatures, ozone, drought and wildfires; heavy rains will be more frequent; heat waves will be hotter and hurricanes are more severe.

The Report says major shifts in weather and environment will have disastrous consequences for public health, including worsened symptoms of lung disease and other chronic illnesses; higher risk of heat stroke and heat exhaustion; new threats of food- and waterborne diseases; and increased hospital admissions for cardiovascular and kidney disorders.

Thursday's Smart Talk features a discussion of the impact climate change could have on lungs and the rest of the body.

Appearing on the show are Dr. Alan Peterson who is the emeritus Director of Environmental and Community Medicine of Lancaster General Health and Kevin Stewart who serves as the Director of Environmental Health for the American Lung Association of the Mid-Atlantic Region.