Jan. 3 (Bloomberg) -- More than 1,000 people in the U.S. will die for every degree Celsius the atmosphere warms because of carbon dioxide, according to a computer model at Stanford University in California.

Each degree of warming will lead to about 21,000 deaths worldwide. In the U.S., there will be 1,000 more fatalities from asthma other non-cancer causes linked to air pollution, as well as 20 to 30 more cancer-related losses, according to a paper to be published in Geophysical Research Letters.

The health effects of climate change would become more profound in areas of the country that already experience high rates of air pollution, such as southern California, according to Mark Jacobson, the Stanford engineering professor who developed the model used to write the paper.

``Ultimately, you inhale a greater abundance of deleterious chemicals due to carbon dioxide and the climate change associated with it, and the link appears quite solid,'' Jacobson said in a statement today. ``The logical next step is to reduce carbon dioxide.''

Carbon dioxide also causes air temperatures to rise faster than those at the surface, Jacobson found. The result is that pollution tends to stay near where it originates and doesn't disperse so easily.

Ozone production in urban areas will also rise because of increased carbon dioxide, Jacobson wrote. Ozone is known to cause respiratory and cardiovascular illnesses, according to a statement released by Stanford.

``It is a very corrosive gas; it erodes rubber and statues,'' Jacobson said in a statement. ``It cracks tires. So you can imagine what it does to your lungs in high enough concentrations.''

Emissions Rules

California, New York and several other states adopted new vehicle emissions rules to limit the amount of carbon getting into the atmosphere. On Dec. 19, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency denied the rules, saying an energy bill signed by President George W. Bush already seeks to cut greenhouse gas emissions through new auto-mileage standards.

The California standards were more stringent than the bill signed by Bush. Earlier this week, California and several of the other states sued the EPA.

Jacobson's work lends credence to California's need to control its air pollution, the Stanford statement said.

``With six of the 10 most polluted cities in the nation being in California, that alone creates a special circumstance for the state,'' Jacobson said.

Jacobson developed a computer model of the atmosphere to look at the effects of increased pollution and changes in the climate. Among the variables that go into the model are the amount of sunlight, the effect of rain, wind and clouds, and how pollutants are formed and move and change in the atmosphere.

To contact the reporter on this story: Brian K. Sullivan in Boston at bsullivan10@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: January 3, 2008 15:29 EST