What was done
In this major review paper, the author analyzes the history of three mosquito-borne diseases -- malaria and yellow and dengue fever -- in an attempt to determine if the incidence and range of influence of these diseases will increase, as many predict, in response to CO2-induced global warming.

What was learned
According to the author, the natural history of these vector-borne diseases is highly complex; and the interplay of climate, ecology, vector biology, and a number of other factors defies definition by the simplistic analyses presently utilized in models to generate predictions of future change under various global warming scenarios.  It is true there have been reports of a recent resurgence of these diseases in some parts of the world; but it is "facile to attribute this resurgence to climate change," as the author presents a case-by-case analysis demonstrating that factors associated with politics, economics and human activity -- but not climate -- are the principal determinants of the spread of these diseases.

What it means
Human political and economic activities and their impact on local ecology have generally been "much more significant" in promoting conditions favorable to the expansion of vector-borne diseases than have changes in climate.  Yet nearly all models that predict an influence of global warming on such diseases fail to include effects of these important non-climatic factors, leading us to agree with the author that it is "inappropriate to use climate-based models to predict future prevalence."