1. COP21, Pollution and Public Health 2015 could be a banner year for the environment. As the COP21 summit in Paris wrapped in December, nearly 200 countries signed the “,” a comprehensive global pact to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. If these terms are renewed every five years (as is mandated by the agreement), this international effort — coupled with emission-standards work at the national and local level — could have a vast impact on public health. Safer air and water...

Does the weather in your area keep you inside more than you would like? Maybe you like to run or bike for exercise but can't in the snow, or perhaps frigid temps force you to drive rather than walk to run errands. Perhaps it's high humidity and precipitation that plays a role in how active you are. All types of weather certainly factored in a new ranking from WalletHub on the best and worst cities for an active lifestyle, Jill...

A young Samburu woman herding her donkeys to pasture at the Wesgate conservancy near Kenya's Samburu national reserve. Rift Valley Fever spreads from mosquitos to livestock to humans during El Niño events in East Africa, data have shown. (TONY KARUMBA/AFP/GettyImages) Rift Valley Fever, a mosquito-borne disease, is linked to El Niño in East Africa, a connection that historically spurs a loss of livestock, livelihood and human lives in the region. Here's what happens: After heavy rainfalls, dormant mosquito eggs found...

A woman models My UV Patch on her hand. A tiny, heart-shaped monitor may be joining sunscreen and wide-brimmed hats in the fight against sun damage. Named My UV Patch, and debuted at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Nevada. According to a press release from the company, the groundbreaking stretchable skin sensor is designed to monitor UV exposure. The monitor is a transparent, adhesive patch that adheres to the skin and measures about one square inch in area,...

Commuters make a sub-zero trek to offices in the Loop on Jan. 6, 2014 in Chicago, Illinois. A new working paper reveals that hot weather might actually make us more miserable, however. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images) When the fall/winter season's first cold front hits, many start dreaming of tropical escapes to sunshine, sand and humidity. But then again, more among us might show preference to very cold over very hot days, according to a new working paper from Patrick...

There's more than one reason to indulge in a steaming cup of hot cocoa. (iStock/bhofack2) There's nothing quite like warming up with a cup of hot cocoa on a cold winter day. It may seem like an indulgence, but the chilly day treat actually has a whole host of health benefits. Cocoa powder contains powerful antioxidants and many studies have shown its beneficial effects on heart health, insulin levels, memory and more. Best of all? It just plain makes you...

Snow sponges pollutants from car exhaust in urban areas, posing a potential health risk among children. (Jared Wickerham / Stringer) Researchers at McGill University have found that snow absorbs pollution from vehicle exhaust, which contain a "variety of toxic and carcinogenic substances,"potentially increasing an individual's exposure to harmful toxins. The study, published in the journalE,mimicked the "real world conditions of exhaust release from a vehicle's tailpipe close to the ground surface" by shooting fumes into an experimental “snow chamber." Although...

It's time to start taking mosquito season seriously.Zika virus, which originated in Africa in the late 1940s, has been making headlines in recent weeks, due to its spread into the Americans and the Caribbean. Once spring comes to the continental U.S., there will be an even better reason to watch out. “Oftentimes, people tend to think of mosquitos and mosquito bites as an annoyance, but it is important to remember that in some cases, mosquitos can transmit serious pathogens,” ,...

Hundreds of thousands of residents in Flint, Michigan, feared the news: The water they were drinking was tainted with lead. Now, local officials in other towns are checking the pipes that deliver their residents' drinking water, and some cities are finding out they might have the same problem. Southeast of Cleveland, residents in Sebring, Ohio, say they no longer trust the water they're drinking because it travels through lead pipes to get to their homes. The town of about 8,100...

Flint's water crisis has left an entire city in limbo about the safety of their drinking water and the health of their children. Unsafe levels of lead have been found in the water, and consumption could leave permanent damage on the town's youngest generation. (MORE: ) Cases upon cases of water have been driven into Flint to give residents another option other than consuming poisoned water, but it takes a lot of water to keep a city of 100,000 running....

We're nearing the end of January, which for many means one thing: New Year's resolutions are long forgotten. The year's exercise goals, for example, might have fallen by the wayside a bit — especially if your region has been blasted with a winter storm. , a food and fitness coach in New York City, told weather.com that this time of year is when planning a fitness getaway can come in handy. (Barnet, for one, is leading , in March through...

(Astrid Riecken/Getty Images) When Winter Storm Jonas blanketed the East Coast in mid-January 2016, it set records. The system dumped more than 40 inches of snow in parts of West Virginia and more than a foot in at least 14 states — truly jaw-dropping figures. At points during the storm system, some 67.9 million Americans were under National Weather Service-issued winter storm warnings. Despite warning well in advance of the storm, Jonas also made headlines for another reason: the numbers...