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Global Warming Why Health Professionals Care
- 1. Global Warming: Why Public Health Professionals Care, and Why You Should Too. Ed Maibach, MPH, PhD Professor, George Mason University Public health professional since 1982 [Insert your name & specs below]
- 3. Global warming is real. “ (The) warming of (our) climate is unequivocal.” Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (2007)
- 4. Warming is only part of the story
- 5. We’re causing climate change. Most of the observed increase in global average temperatures since the mid-20th century is very likely due to the … increase in (human-caused) green-house gas concentrations (in our atmosphere). — IPCC (2007)
- 7. “ We need to… convince the world that humanity really is the most important species endangered by climate change.” — Margaret Chan, MD, Director-General, World Health Organization “ Climate change is one of the most serious public health threats facing our nation. Yet few Americans are aware of the very real consequences of climate change on the health of our communities, our families and our children.” — Georges Benjamin, MD, Executive Director American Public Health Association Climate change is bad for people.
- 8. Climate Change ➜ Rising Temperature Extreme Temperatures ➜ Heat Stress August 2003: 34,000 deaths in France alone.
- 9. Climate Change ➜ Extreme Weather Stronger storms (& rising sea level) ➜ Injuries, fatalities
- 10. Climate Change ➜ Extreme Weather Droughts & Floods ➜ Water & Food Scarcity & Safety Problems
- 11. Climate Change ➜ Reduced Air Quality Air pollution ➜ Asthma, Cardiovascular Disease Pollens ➜ Allergies ➜ Respiratory problem
- 12. Climate Change ➜ Disrupted Ecosystems Disruptions ➜ New Opportunities for Diseases To Thrive
- 13. Regional variations Northwest Southwest The Great Plains Southwest Atlantic and Gulf Coast Midwest And Northeast Northeast Alaska
- 21. Killed by Floods, 1975-2000 worldmapper.org Carbon emissions, 2000 worldmapper.org Killed by Storms, 1975-2000 worldmapper.org Killed by Drought, 1975-2000 worldmapper.org
- 22. Climate Change ➜ Sea-level Rise & Extreme Temperature & Weather Increased poverty, starvation, armed conflict environmental refugees, anxiety, post-traumatic stress, depression, despair
- 23. Climate change is a problem we can solve . Because our actions are causing the problem, our actions can slow the problem. Our actions can eventually stop the problem. Is this the world we want to leave to our children?
- 24. Small actions – Big impacts Veggie lunch = 72 balloons of CO 2 prevented = 10 lb. CO 2 = <1 lb. CO 2
- 27. We can encourage changes in state and national policies
- 28. We can solve this problem.
- 29. Instead of this We get this
- 30. Instead of this We get this
- 31. Instead of this We get this
- 32. Instead of this We get this
- 33. Instead of this We get this
- 35. Questions?
- 37. Thank you.
- 38. Global warming is a threat to public health. Public health advocates must respond.
Notas del editor
- By way of introduction, my name is (X). I work as a (X) at (X). I’ve been a public health professional for (X) years, an during that time I’ve worked on many serious public health problems including (X). I’m here today to talk to you about global warming because I believe it is possibly the most serious health threat facing our world today. And that is why my talk today is titled: Global Warming – Why Public Health Professionals Care, and Why You Should Too.
- Global warming is, admittedly, a complicated topic. None of us in this room will ever know everything that the experts know. But that’s OK, because there are only 4 things that we really NEED to know about global warming in order to UNDERSTAND what it all means: #1. Global warming is real. #2. We’re causing it. #3. It’s a grave threat to us, especially to our children and their children. #4. Fortunately, this is a problem we can solve, BUT only if we deal with it SERIOUSLY, and SOON. We’re going to talk about all of these things today, but we’re going to spend most of our time talking about the 3 rd point – the fact that global warming is very bad for people, not just bad for plants, penguins and polar bears – and the 4 th point – that we can solve this problem -- because my mission as a public health professional is to help create a community, and a world, in which we and our children, can all live as healthfully as possible. For that to remain true, there are some important steps we are going to have to take.
- Scientific evidence is overwhelming that our world is warming, and dangerously so. Thousands of research scientists in dozens of countries have collected this evidence. A few remaining scientists disagree; nonetheless, the VAST MAJORITY of scientists who study the climate agree that the world is becoming dangerously warm. An international panel of 300 leading experts is charged with assessing the status of the earth’s climate every 5 years. The panel is called the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, or the IPCC for short. In 2007, these women and men won the Nobel Prize for their work. This is what they say about the warming: “ (The) warming of (our) climate .. is unequivocal, as is now evident from observations of increases in global average air and ocean temperatures, widespread melting of snow and ice and rising global average sea level. Let me repeat that…”The warming of our climate is unequivocal.” Climate scientists have used many methods to estimate the earth’s temperature over the last 650,000 or more years. Here is just one example of that work. This shows you the average land and ocean surface temperatures, worldwide, from 1860 to 2007 as measured directly by thermometers. As you can see, our world is getting warmer. WORLDWIDE TEMPERATURE RECORDS HAVE BEEN KEPT SINCE 1850. WOULD ANYONE LIKE TO GUESS HOW MANY OF THE HOTTEST YEARS ON RECORD OCCURRED SINCE 1990? (Take guesses) All 10. In fact, t he IPCC reports that the 10 hottest years since 1850 occurred in the past 12 years. To help you get the picture even more clearly, let’s look at a time-lapse visualization of global temperature differences from 1884 to 2006. Dark blue areas show regions where the temperature was cooler then the average temperature. Red areas show regions where the temperature was warmer then the average.
- But warming isn’t the whole story. With the warming comes more extreme weather and changes in rain patterns. Scientists refer to this phenomena as “climate change.” Climate change creates extreme conditions including increased frequency of heavy rainfall, increased flooding, more heat waves, and an increase in areas affected by drought. It is likely that climate change increases the intensity of hurricanes too. We can’t point to any one event like Katrina and say “this is climate change,” but we can say that climate change will bring us more tragedies like Katrina in the future.
- And this brings us to the 2 nd important point that I want you to understanding clearly…we, human beings, you, me and everyone else are causing the warming of our planet. CAN YOU SUGGEST SOME WAYS WE DO THIS? (Take comments: look for words like fossil fuels, C02) Exactly. We do so directly by burning fossil fuels – oil, coal, natural gas. And we do so indirectly by purchasing products that require fossil fuel use in their production and transportation – which is pretty much everything we own….everything in our homes, our cars, even our food. Our actions cause the emission of CO2, methane, and other greenhouse gases into the earth’s atmosphere. Our actions are responsible for that fact that greenhouse gas concentrations in the earth’s atmosphere are now higher than at any time as far back as scientists can measure – which is well over 650,000 years. The IPCC concluded that “m ost of the observed increase in global average temperatures since the mid-20th century is very likely due to the … increase in (human-caused) greenhouse gas concentrations (in our atmosphere)” —IPCC Climate Change 2007 Synthesis Report. If we’ve agreed that we cause climate change, I want to share another important insight…[next slide]
- Some of us are much more responsible for the warming than others. In the United States, we are responsible for one-fourth of all greenhouse gas emissions, worldwide. China just passed the US as the biggest overall greenhouse gas polluter, but China has 4 people for every one person in the US. This means, on a per person basis, the average American still creates nearly 4 times more greenhouse gas pollution that does the average Chinese. The map you see here, from 2000, is a representation of which countries are contributing most to the dangerous warming of our planet. You will immediately notice the enlarged size of the US here, in comparison to what you would normally expect to see.
- We come now to the 3 rd important point that I want to share: Climate change is bad for people too. When most Americans think about global warming, they understand that it is bad for plants, penguins and polar bears. But public health professionals have come to understand – and I hope you will join me in understanding – that climate changes poses a very serious threat to people. Take a moment to read the direct quotes from two of the world’s leading public health experts.
- Let’s consider some concrete examples that show exactly how climate change is bad for people. First, let’s look at the impact of extreme temperatures – or heat waves. Climate change will give us more and more extreme heat waves in nearly every region of our country. Heat waves cause extreme heat stress. Heat stress kills people who otherwise would not die, especially very young children and older adults, especially if they are poor and don’t have air conditioning, and especially if they live in urban areas where large swaths of blacktop and concrete trap and hold in the heat. In the summer of 2003, an extreme heat event of this type in France left 34,000 people dead. Here’s a sobering fact: A summer day in Atlanta that now reaches a heat index of 105°F will by end of the century reach a heat index of 115°F to 130°F unless we slow global warming.
- As you have seen, climate change doesn’t just produce higher temperatures and extreme temperatures. It also changes when, where and how much rain and snow fall, and it produces more frequent and more intense extreme weather events. Each extreme weather event, such as tornadoes, hurricanes, wildfires, and mudslides, brings the possibility of people being injured or dying. For example, more than 1800 people were killed by Hurricane Katrina. And people continued to be hurt afterward. In the weeks following Katrina, in New Orleans alone, the CDC found that more than 7,500 people were injured or became ill because of the aftermath of the hurricane. http://www.cdc.gov/MMWR/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5440a4.htm As the frequency and intensity of hurricanes, flooding and droughts increase, these extreme weather events also will likely injure or kill an increasing number of people.
- Climate change is also beginning to pose real problems for our water and food supplies. Severe droughts are predicted to become more frequent in many parts of our country. In 2008, the US Dept of Agriculture reported that climate change is already affecting US water resources in harmful ways. These harmful weather patterns, such as temperature increases, increasing CO2 levels, and altered patterns of precipitation, are partly responsible for the dramatic increases in food prices worldwide in 2008. Rising food costs, of course, have the hardest impact on poor and middle class families both in the US and around the world.
- As the temperature rises, the quality of our air gets worse in a variety of ways that harm people, especially our children, our elderly, and people with serious chronic health conditions. This leads to increases in the number and severity of asthma attacks and cardiovascular disease. Research conducted at Harvard Medical Center has shown that children and adults reported a 75% increase in asthma between 1980-1994. The increase in asthma among preschool-aged children, however, was much worse…it increased a whopping 160%. You can clearly see the trend in this graph from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Increased CO2 in the atmosphere also leads to increases in plant size and pollen production, particularly in urban areas, which of course leads to higher rates and more severe allergic responses and associated respiratory problems.
- Climate change disrupts eco-systems. This is leading to increases in diseases that are carried by insects and animals such including mosquitoes and rodents. Public health professionals call these “vector-borne” diseases. The spread of the West Nile Virus across the continental United States since 2003 – a disease spread by mosquitoes – is one such example. Climate change also leads to increases in “water-borne diseases” as a result of increased flooding. The US Climate Change Science Program issued a report in 2008 that says diseases that are typically confined to warmer tropical climates will likely spread northward in the Northern hemisphere (and southward in the Southern hemisphere), and to higher elevations than before, as a result of the warming climate. What’s even more troubling are the unexpected things that we’ve already started to see happen. This is one example, as reported recently in the the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, where a dangerous tropical disease suddenly showed up on Vancouver Island in Canada.
- Climate change will harm people in different ways in different places. WOULD ANYONE LIKE TO OFFER ME AN EXAMPLE OF HOW THEY THINK CLIMATE CHANGE MIGHT AFFECT US HERE IN (CITY, STATE, REGION)?
- TO HIDE SLIDES: GO TO VIEW/ SLIDE SORTER. RIGHT CLICK ON THE SLIDES YOU WANT TO SKIP, CLICK “HIDE SLIDE” TO UNHIDE, JUST RIGHT CLICK AND UNCHECK “HIDE SLIDE. WOULD ANYONE CARE TO OFFER AN EXAMPLE OF HOW THEY THINK CLIMATE CHANGE MIGHT AFFECT US HERE IN (CITY, STATE, REGION)? Heavy rainfall may lead to flooding and overflow of sewage systems, causing an increase in the spread of disease.
- Here in the Southwest, our air quality will decline and asthma and cardiovascular disease will likely increase as a result. Our cities will be hotter than they are now, and we will have more severe heat waves, wildfires and droughts. When it does rain, storms are likely to drop extreme amounts of rain which can lead to flooding, water-borne diseases, serious soil erosion and mud slides. These conditions will harm our people, our livestock and our crops. And coastal communities will have to deal with the consequence of rising sea-levels. Unless the problem of climate change is solved, many coastal communities – or portions of coastal communities -- may have to be abandoned within the lifetimes of people alive in those communities today.
- The lives of native people are already changing because of the loss of deep winter ice, retreating sea ice, and increased pest outbreaks. And coastal communities will have to deal with the consequence of rising sea-levels. Unless the problem of climate change is solved, many coastal communities may have to be abandoned within the lifetimes of people alive in those communities today. WOULD SOMEONE CARE TO SHARE AN EXAMPLE OF HOW THEY THINK CLIMATE CHANGE MIGHT AFFECT US HERE IN (CITY, STATE, REGION)?
- Increased temperatures could mean scorching summers and milder winters—which would significantly impair food production and create new challenges for cities facing extreme heat. During heat waves, cities could experience extreme temperatures that would mean more heat stress and heatstroke, which is especially harmful to our children, our elders, and the poor. CAN SOMEONE SHARE AN EXAMPLE OF HOW THEY THINK CLIMATE CHANGE MIGHT AFFECT US HERE IN (CITY, STATE, REGION)?
- People with allergies could have a harder time as temperatures rise. Diseases carried by insects or animals—such as Lyme disease and West Nile virus—could extend their reach. And coastal communities will have to deal with the consequence of rising sea-levels. Unless the problem of climate change is solved, many coastal communities may have to be abandoned within the lifetimes of people alive in those communities today. WOULD ANYONE CARE TO OFFER AN EXAMPLE OF HOW THEY THINK CLIMATE CHANGE MIGHT AFFECT US HERE IN (CITY, STATE, REGION)?
- During heat waves, cities could experience extreme temperatures that would mean more heat stress and heatstroke, which is especially harmful to our children, our elders, and the poor. WOULD ANYONE CARE TO SHARE AN EXAMPLE OF HOW THEY THINK CLIMATE CHANGE MIGHT AFFECT US HERE IN (CITY, STATE, REGION)?
- Here in the Southeast and Gulf Coast, our air quality will decline and asthma and cardiovascular disease are likely to rise as a result. Our cities will be hotter than they are now, and we will have more severe heat waves, wildfires and droughts. Hurricanes are expected to become more violent. And we will have more extreme rainfall and flooding as a result. These conditions will harm our people, our livestock and our crops. And coastal communities will have to deal with the consequence of rising sea-levels. Unless the problem of climate change is solved, many coastal communities may have to be abandoned within the lifetimes of people alive in those communities today.
- Up until this point, we’ve been talking mostly about things that we are seeing – and are likely to see more of -- here in the US. But the worst effects of climate change are already being felt, and will continue to be felt, in the poorest parts of the world. These countries are at least able to protect themselves against heat, droughts, storms and floods. For them, climate change means loss of land, increased starvation, and even more devastating poverty than they already experience. These countries do not have the infrastructure and resources that our country has to deal with the problems caused by climate change. Americans have always been proud of their generosity in helping people around the world in times of disaster. Well, we need to take real action now in order to stop some very serious disasters BEFORE they occur.
- This is not a theoretical risk. It’s already happening. The World Health Organization estimates that already, worldwide,150,000 people die every year as a result of climate change. That number is expected to grow rapidly unless we take action. Consider: a protracted drought has been called one of the causes of the conflict in Darfur. As changing climate itself can injure, starve and kill people directly; equally deadly is the civil unrest that emerges in societies that are being disrupted by severe changes in their climate. Consider this beautiful place, Kiribati, a small island nation in the South Pacific. Because of rising sea-levels, here’s what it may look like in just a couple decades if we don’t take action. The people of Kiribati are already making plans to permanently evacuate their entire population before their country succumbs to rising sea levels.
- Let’s boil this entire presentation down to a single point. How we decide to address climate change is a decision about the world we will leave to our children. We know that the climate is changing, we know that we’re causing it, and I’ve shown you how bad it is for people, here at home and around the world. So we need to ask ourselves: what is it worth to us to tackle this problem now, to take a stand and start making changes that will make a better world for our children and grandchildren? [LONG PAUSE…at least 15 seconds] Now, let’s consider the 4th and final point: climate change is a problem we can solve.
- While big actions are needed, I want to start by focusing on the importance of little actions. Small actions – for example, reducing the amount of beef you eat -- can make an important difference. For example, growing, transporting and preparing a plant-based lunch – like this salad – emits less than 1 pound of CO2 whereas growing, transporting and preparing a beef-based lunch, like this cheese burger, emits 10 pounds of CO2. The 9 extra pounds of C02 wouldto fill 72 average-sized balloons. Source: Gidon Eshel and Pamela A. Martin (2006) Diet, Energy, and Global Warming. Earth Interactions, 10; 1–17. DOI: 10.1175/EI167.1
- Climate change is a global problem. But some of the most powerful solutions are individual steps that each of us can take. Let’s look, for example, at what we can do in our homes. Installing CFLs, buying energy efficient appliances, making sure our attics are insulated, all add up. And these things will save us lots of money too. Carpooling or taking public transportation to work, riding a bicycle instead of driving, and most important, avoiding flying are important changes we can make in how we travel that help to slow climate change. Buying locally grown fruits and vegetables, drinking tap water instead of soda or bottled water, and eating less beef are important changes we can make in how we eat that will slow climate change AND benefit our health too. When we think twice about whether we really need that new whatever-it-is – that is, when we simply buy less stuff -- we’re taking real actions to slow climate change. And when we look at how we’re working -- how we’re traveling for work, what we’re using at work -- we’re taking important, meaningful actions. Everyone one of us, with just a little bit of thought and effort, can substantially reduce our own personal contribution to climate change. And while change should begin at home, and at work, there are other even more important actions that every one of us can EASILY take that will make an even bigger difference. (next slide)
- We can encourage changes in our city’s and our county’s policies. Here’s a great example: In 2003, Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson committed to reduce the city’s greenhouse gas emissions from municipal operations by the amount specified in the Kyoto Protocol…. 21% below the city’s 2001 baseline. The city actually did even better. In 2006, municipal emissions in Salt Lake City had dropped more than 30 percent below their 2001 baseline. Six years ahead of schedule, Salt Lake City had exceeded its goal by nearly 50%. They did it by examining how they were doing business and adopting policies that cut their emission and saved money. They did it by replacing incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescents. They did it by installing LED streetlights and using the savings to become the state’s largest purchaser of wind power. They did it by buying carbon offsets for all air travel by city employees, by switching the city’s car and truck fleet to vehicles fueled by natural gas, and by making parking free across the city for people with highly fuel-efficient cars. They did it by updating standards for city buildings and encouraging carbon-free transportation like walking and biking. Our mayors and our city and county council members need to hear from us. We need to encourage them to make these kinds of changes in our community too. Our cities can do what Salt Lake City did.
- And while we’re at it, we can encourage action in our state capital and in Washington, DC. How? The old fashioned way, by writing letters, or the not-so-old-fashioned way, by sending emails or picking up the telephone. We can ask our elected state and federal officials to tackle the issue of climate change, right now. We can ask them to make it a priority, today. And we can ask them to make our nation a world leader in the fight against this global threat.
- If we take action as consumers and as citizens, we can solve the problem of climate change. But we need to act now. The leading climate scientists tell us that we may have only 5 years before the problem becomes much worse, and much harder to solve. Allow me to tell you a brief – fictitious -- story: NASA recently reported that it discovered a large meteor hurtling toward earth. NASA scientists say it probably won’t strike earth – they estimate odds are only 10% -- but if it does strike, which will happen 5 years from now, it’s going to kick so much dust and gas into our atmosphere that tens of million people or more would almost certainly die in the ensuing years, and countless species would become extinct. Some business groups, and some members of the public and Congress are saying that more research is needed before we use scare pubic resources to address this threat. The dissention has rendered Congress unable to make a decision, but with each passing day the meteor gets one day closer to earth. My question for you is: What action are YOU going to take? What would you tell YOUR congressional representative to do? The case for taking action against climate change today is far more compelling than that of my meteor tale. Preventing a catastrophic meteor strike only prevents something awful from happening. Conversely, taking steps to prevent climate change prevents an awful thing from happening, but also benefits us in myriad ways that create better communities, a better nation, and a better world in which for us, our children, and their children to live.
- Today, highways define our nation, but we can build a nation defined by its walking and cycling paths, its public transportation systems, and by jobs and schools that are closer to home (possibly even at home) rather than ever-increasing distances away from home.
- Today our global/industrial agricultural system transports foods over vast distances, thereby producing about 1/5 of all greenhouse gas pollution worldwide, but we can build a food system in which farmers grow better, healthier, and tastier foods closer to home.
- Today, our zoning policies lead to communities that create social isolation and inhibit our ability to solve our collective problems. We can easily change those policies to create more cohesive communities that foster problem-solving instead.
- Today the design of our communities contributes to obesity, but we can build communities that make it easier for us to be active, healthy, and happy.
- And instead of powering our communities with fuels that emit vast amounts of greenhouse gas pollution, we can power our communities with clean renewable energy sources, that eventually will be far cheaper than what we pay today for dirty fossil fuels. In short, the solutions to climate change will also produce solutions to many of societies most pressing problems.
- I leave you with this one last thought: The simple loving act of walking our children to school – instead of driving them or putting them on a bus – provides so many benefits to us, our children, our community, and our world.
- Any questions? (click) As a closing thought, let’s consider one simple lovely act…walking our children to school. Doing this, instead of driving them or putting them on the bus, benefits us all in so many important ways.
- Public health officials often work within a framework of prevention-- trying to slow or stop threats to public health before they affect large numbers of people. That kind of mitigation involves taking steps to address root causes (like carbon emissions) and education about the nature of the threats we face, to help others protect themselves, and to advocate for the proper responses with responsible decision-makers such as yourselves. That’s why I’m here today, to explain the threat, and make some suggestions about what we can each to do to address the threat. But public health officials also have to respond to threats that we haven’t been able to prevent. With climate change, many of the effects are already being felt. We know what we are, and we know how to adapt to them. What that means is that we need to look at a whole range of areas where we need to take actions now to protect ourselves.
- Locally, Public health organizations will need to address: And the first step in all of this is a needs assessment. Specifically, what we need to do is: