By , ,
Published May 06, 2015
We can argue till we’re blue in the face over whether it’s due to the excesses of human behavior or just a normal tick in the natural planetary cycle, but we can’t deny the evidence that the earth is getting warmer.
So let’s put aside the debate over the why and how and have a serious discussion about climate change. Because it is seriously affecting our health.
The magnitude of rising global temperatures, extreme weather, ozone concentrations and declining air quality hasten our need not only to predict and warn of short-term disasters, but also to look at the long-term projections so we can modify events and behaviors that accelerate climate change.
Climate change, whatever its cause, affects how we breathe, what we eat and what diseases we’re exposed to. We can’t overlook this. We need to act now.
The magnitude of rising global temperatures, extreme weather, ozone concentrations and declining air quality hasten our need not only to predict and warn of short-term disasters, but also to look at the long-term projections so we can modify events and behaviors that accelerate climate change.
My father, Dr. P. Krishna Rao, who worked for 45 years at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), was one of the forefathers of measuring climate change. He was one of the first to describe how satellites could be used to predict trends and changes in global weather patterns in order to alert vulnerable populations to impending disasters.
That was an early example of how we could use data and technology to predict where changes will occur. But that was then. Now we need to go several steps further.
The magnitude of rising global temperatures, extreme weather, ozone concentrations and declining air quality hasten our need not only to predict and warn of short-term disasters, but also to look at the long-term projections so we can modify events and behaviors that accelerate climate change.
We further need to look at very specific causes and effects that can be managed, so that we’re not dealing in rhetoric or misleading the public.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) lists nine cause-and-effect relationships between climate change and health, including:
These associations are real, and they cannot be ignored. They require immediate action on several levels:
There needs to be a broader collaboration among those who understand how to predict climate change, those who understand how to reduce contributing factors to climate change, those who manage the public health implications of climate change and those who have access to relevant data and have the ability to communicate with at-risk populations.
And if we hope to reduce short- and long-term disasters both in the U.S. and abroad, it has to happen now.
https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/is-climate-change-really-killing-us-a-doctors-diagnosis