Hello and welcome to Environmental Minute! This is a segment brought to you by WDIY, in part by the Estate of Don Miles, and I am your host, Maddie Yang, a rising senior in high school at Moravian Academy, in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. I am super passionate about all things climate change, sustainability, and empowering and educating others to take action against the climate crisis. My goal for this segment is to provide listeners with a glimpse to a whole variety of topics in the vast realm of sustainability from biodiversity to ecotourism, and plant-based diets to sustainable swaps.
When we think about the health of our planet, it is a no brainer to also think about the health of our people — the inhabitants of our planet!
The air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we consume, the transportation we take, and the neighborhoods we live play into sustainability.
But here’s a scary statistic. If the US health sector were a nation, it would rank 13th globally for greenhouse gas emissions, producing roughly 10% of national greenhouse gases. Furthermore, public health damage from greenhouse gas emissions contributes to roughly 209,000 disability-adjusted life years per year. And between 2030 and 2050, climate change is predicted to cause 250,000 additional deaths per year from causes such as malaria, malnutrition, and heat stress, costing anywhere between 2-4 billion dollars by 2030 according to the World Health Organization. That’s only in a little over three years.
Climate change not only hurts our earth, but it has a detrimental impact on us humans. All aspects of our health are affected by climate change, physical and mental, and already 3.6 billion people already live in areas highly susceptible to climate change. Particularly, vulnerable countries are hit fifteen times harder by extreme climate change related events.
So, what exactly does climate change have to do with public health?
Let’s begin with air — the essential thing that we all need every single day.
As temperatures rise, the conditions that contribute to wildfires and ground-level ozone pollution can become more severe. For those with asthma or other chronic respiratory conditions, poor air quality can make it extremely difficult to breathe, increasing the risk of serious health complications. And these impacts aren’t confined to locations experiencing the worst climate disasters. Smoke from wildfires, for instance, can travel hundreds or thousands of miles, affecting communities far from the original fire.
Speaking of fire, heat is another huge component.
Extreme heat is something frequently talked about in the environmental space. With global warming stemming from things like greenhouse gases, deforestation, and the burning of fossil fuels, heat makes its way into many conversations, and this remains true for conversations surrounding human health as well. Our bodies have a limited capacity to regulate temperature, and as I am sure we are all familiar with, prolonged heat exposure can quickly lead to heat exhaustion, heatstroke, dehydration, and cardiovascular stress. Especially as heat waves become more frequent and intense, those who work outdoors, older adults, and young children are particularly susceptible to these dangers.
And climate change does not affect everyone equally.
Compare a community with abundant trees, green spaces, reliable water and food access, and well-maintained infrastructure to a community with fewer trees, pavement instead of greenery, greater exposure to pollution, and inconsistent food and water access. These differences aren’t accidental. Where people live, work, and learn greatly influences their exposure to environmental hazards and their ability to adapt to climate change.
And this is where environmental justice comes into the picture.
Environmental justice is recognizing that everyone needs a healthy environment to exist in, while simultaneously recognizing the ways in which communities can be disproportionately affected and the ways in which climate change can amplify these preexisting inequalities.
But I don’t want us to forget that we can be the ones to spark solutions, even when the climate crisis feels insurmountable. Whether it be planting trees, doing trash cleanups, encouraging walking or public transportation opposed to driving a car, or providing local wildlife more habitats, we as humans can see indirect benefits to our health. Fresh air for our lungs, cleaner spaces to connect, more physical activity, and most importantly empowerment. Empowerment that we don’t have to wait for someone else’s permission to act. Empowerment that we can lead the way for others. And empowerment that we won’t let the climate crisis take over.
Climate change is more than preventing ice caps from melting or raising awareness about endangered species. (Don’t get me wrong, both of these things are essential). It’s about your own health, the health of your neighbors, and the health of our global communities.
Ultimately, there is no healthy planet without healthy people and there is no healthy population without a healthy planet.
Thank you so much for tuning into this episode of Environmental Minute, and I hope this conversation has inspired you to think more deeply about public health and the environment. Until next time, I’m Maddie Yang, and this has been Environmental Minute.
