M12.9 Climate Change

Reflections on Climate Change

1) What do you personally find most troubling about climate change?

            On a personal level, I am most concerned about the melting ice caps and the subsequent rise in the sea level. According to the BBC movie, Earth Under Water (2010), it is estimated that the sea level will rise between four or five meters each century. Even a rise of three feet will start to cause severe changes to life as we know it. For example, Miami will be flooded by the end of this century if we do not make drastic efforts to reduce our carbon emissions. A rise in ocean level will put significant strain on our Earth’s already maxed out resources. There will be severe financial loss, fresh water sources will be contaminated, food supply will be compromised, land will be lost, and thousands if not millions of people will be displaced as refugees. These severe changes will instill widespread panic and fear among the remaining population.

2) As a public health professional, what do you think needs the greatest attention right now?

           

            As a public health professional, the greatest efforts need to be placed on reducing carbon emissions, lessening greenhouse gases, and subsequently slowing the increase in Earth’s temperature. We can attribute the deleterious effects of climate change to the massive amount of carbon emissions we produce as a society. If we can eliminate our reliance on plastics and fossil fuels, we can make a positive impact by stopping the rise in Earth’s temperatures. However, this will require extreme effort and commitment from the global community. Public health professionals need to advocate for the government to acknowledge global warming as a serious threat and stop allowing conglomerates to dictate US policy. We will be in imminent danger if we do not start allocating resources to solving the problem of climate change.

3) If you were visiting with a long-lost relative who had never heard about climate change, how would you describe it and its attendant human health and ecological threats?

Climate change is a multi-faceted and complex issue that stems from generations of unsustainable practices. In short, climate change is a series of changes in weather patterns secondary to a rapid increase in carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gasses. Many of our everyday practices cause a rise in carbon dioxide. The burning of fossil fuel is one of the largest contributors. Changing weather patterns cause planetary destabilization through severe droughts and heatwaves, more frequent natural disasters, high intensity storms, extreme swings in weather, and a rise in sea level. These events have a significant impact on humans including financial loss; food insecurity; higher rates of water-borne illnesses, food-borne illness, vector-borne illnesses; increased morbidity/mortality; exacerbations of chronic diseases; and an increase in reactive airway disease due to pollution. There will also be millions of people displaced due to extreme natural disasters and flooding, which will exacerbate the spread of disease and shortages of resources. (Sattler, 2017).

References

Remme, T. (Writer & Director). (2010). Earth under water [Television broadcast]. United States: Picture Films, Ltd. for National Geographic Channel. 

Sattler, B. (2017). Climate change: A public health perspective [PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from https://usfca.instructure.com/courses/1569184/pages/m12-dot-1-personal-account-of-katrina-relief-and-its-implications-for-climate-change-preparedness?module_item_id=16450475