MADISON (WKOW) -- The Director of UW-Madison's Global
Health Institute says severe weather extremes are only going to become more
common in the coming years and Wisconsin has to prepare for it.
Dr. Jonathan Patz says Wisconsin will see more hot days,
more droughts and more severe rainfalls that cause flooding.
Dr. Patz is one of the featured guests on this weekend's
edition of 'Capitol City Sunday.'
"We will see an increase in frequency and intensity of
these," says Dr. Patz. "That means we have to be prepared, we need cooling
centers, we need language-appropriate early warning."
Dr. Patz says those steps will save
lives, but also save money, especially when it comes to hospitalization costs.
But he says that's not enough.
"If we were to have a low-carbon economy where we had
multi-modal transportation, where we designed cities with better mass transit,
bike-ability, walk-ability, it would have a huge public health dividend," says
Dr. Patz.
In the second half of the
show, state Rep. Kelda Roys (D-Madison) discusses her run for the Democratic
nomination in Wisconsin's second congressional district.
Rep. Roys says jump starting job creation is an important
part of her agenda.
"We have to
free people to start their own businesses and you do that by things like
guaranteeing health care, making sure there's an educated workforce here," says
Rep. Roys. "Growing businesses here in Wisconsin is the very best way for us to
be prosperous."
Rep. Roys says she
also supports cutting defense spending and ending the Bush tax cuts for wealthy
Americans, while preserving Social Security.
"I will fight Paul Ryan, tooth and nail against trying to
privatize Social Security or take away the safety net that so many of our
Seniors rely on," says Rep. Roys.
