Written by Mahadevan Subramanian, Sc.B. candidate in biology and public health at Brown University, and participant in the 2022 Institute for Public Health Summer Research Program
As a participant in the Summer Research Program’s Public and Global Health Track, I have attended seminar sessions on the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). On June 21, I had the opportunity to hear from Jonathan Patz, MD, MPH, co-director of the Global Health Institute and appointed faculty at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, who gave a presentation on SDG 13 – Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts.
In the talk, “Solving the Climate Crisis: shifting mindsets from Burdens to Benefits”, Patz emphasized the importance of approaching the climate crisis from a “health benefits” viewpoint, rather than solely looking at the financial costs associated with making changes. According to the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) latest report, the earth has experienced an increased rate of warming in the last 160 years, higher than what would occur naturally. Human activities have been directly linked to climate change and associated extreme weather events, such as the unprecedented heat wave in the Pacific Northwest, where I am from, and the wildfires and droughts in California. Temperature increases, sea level rise, and droughts can affect us through increasing the rate of vector and water-borne diseases, decreasing access to safe food and water, negatively affecting our mental health and exacerbating the environmental refugee crisis, etc.
It is established that a rise of more than 2°C compared to pre-industrial levels would be disastrous for our food and ecosystems, which is why the IPCC released a 2018 report with guidelines to be met for the temperature rise to be stabilized at 1.5°C. In the report, the organization called for a 45% decrease in fossil fuel emissions by 2030, and a movement towards net carbon-zero by 2050.
Patz has conducted extensive research on the link between climate change and improved global health, and he sees the solution for the crisis in targeting the three of the largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions – electricity, food, and transportation. This is where the cost vs. benefit analysis comes into play. Reducing our reliance on fossil fuels by shifting towards renewable energy, moving towards the 2019 EAT-Lancet Commission’s University Healthy Reference Diet, and increasing our physical activity (such as by walking or biking to work) all have the added benefit of avoiding millions of premature deaths that occur every year, as well as helping decrease our greenhouse gas emissions. In addition, exercise has the health benefits of reducing the risk for obesity, diabetes, heart disease, etc. and access to greenspace (such as walking in parks) can help increase overall mental health and wellbeing.
Patz has conducted extensive research on the link between climate change and improved global health, and he sees the solution for the crisis in targeting the three of the largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions – electricity, food, and transportation. This is where the cost vs. benefit analysis comes into play. Reducing our reliance on fossil fuels by shifting towards renewable energy, moving towards the 2019 EAT-Lancet Commission’s University Healthy Reference Diet, and increasing our physical activity (such as by walking or biking to work) all have the added benefit of avoiding millions of premature deaths that occur every year, as well as helping decrease our greenhouse gas emissions. In addition, exercise has the health benefits of reducing the risk for obesity, diabetes, heart disease, etc. and access to greenspace (such as walking in parks) can help increase overall mental health and wellbeing.
According to Patz, being simple and direct is the key to communicating information about climate change, and this is where trusted messengers, such as doctors and nurses, come in. Solving the climate crisis is important as it ensures that future generations will be able to enjoy access to fresh water, clean air, and the nature around them – something that is especially important to me living in Portland, Oregon!
