This blog discusses the effects of climate change on the general public’s health and possible ways to deal with the issues that we face. The information is from “Climate Change: The Public Health Response”.
Two climate change issues that severely affect people in my area are: winter weather anomalies and droughts, floods, and increased mean temperature. Winter anomalies are essentially the same as droughts and floods. As you can imagine, in Canada we get a lot of snow and cold weather. Most of our precipitation comes in the form of snow. If we do not get the enough snow it is a drought. The soil is not going to be very fertile because there is no water for the crops to suck up. If the crops don’t have enough water there is a lot of loose soil blowing around (think the “Dirty ‘30s”). Blowing soil harms the respiratory system and affects eyes (too much soil in the eyes). On the other hand, if we get too much snow, when spring comes it takes a lot longer to melt. If seeding is done late, the growing season will be too short. People will be forced to harvest the crops before they are ready. This means that the crops will be moist when harvested. This wreaks havoc on the public’s respiratory systems. Imagine being in a musty environment for a long period of time. A significant consequence is higher levels of ochratoxin A (OTA). Higher levels of OTA have been shown to cause kidney failure, particularly in infants. This is not very well known but is a very serious issue - levels higher than 5 parts per billion or 2 kernels in an 18-wheeler truckload are toxic for infants (Prairie Oat Growers Association). Also, in this moist environment bacteria thrives and all of the resulting health consequences.
I was surprised to see that climate change affects people’s mental health. People in areas with continuous climate issues would have a burden. I was not aware that people who are not displaced worry about climate change so much that they have mental health issues.
Mitigation (primary prevention) in the context of climate change is to reduce green-house gas emissions in order to slow or even reverse climate change. Adaptation (secondary and tertiary prevention) prepares for the effects on public health resulting from climate change.
If many people from the same area are getting sick, public health officials would look at how the patients are connected. The people turn out to be using the same well for their water. As a result of the increased mean temperature, bacteria is able to thrive in the well. By tracking the trends, the source of the problem was located, so the issue could be rectified.
A government agricultural experimental farm is located just outside our town. Their research primarily focuses on how to make crops survive and thrive with climate change. If the crops are better prepared for climate change, many of the health issues decline significantly. As previously stated, the most obvious health issues our area a result from bad crops. As we are located in the middle of the country and have very few trees, we do not need to be concerned about many of the issues discussed in this paper.
Hi Kat,
ReplyDeleteI liked your insight on the importance of a "normal" winter to Canadians like yourself. I am also interested by the agricultural implications that occur when climate change occurs. I wonder what kinds of modifications the farmers are making to their crops to help them survive a more drastic change in climate?
This was a very interesting response, especially the part about the government agricultural experimental farm. This is something I have never heard of. I think that it is a very productive move to work with crops to find ways to continue yielding high amounts during climate change, and hopefully this kind of research will reach out to other areas in your town as well.
ReplyDeleteI appreciate your focus on Canada specifically and I really like that you outlined specific things like the fact that snow is the primary precipitant for Canadian crops. I also find it interesting that Climate change is very influential in some countries that depend the pattern of snowfall as much of public's livelihood. That being said, How do you think your hometown will have to adapt to the conditions of less snow? What systems will be put into place as a means of secondary and or tertiary prevention?
ReplyDeleteKat- you did a really nice job with this blog! You had a strong introduction to the article and the blog, and did a really fantastic job describing the consequences of anything but the perfect snow season on farmers’ yield and personal health. I never thought about the length of melting as corresponding to the length of the planting/growing season – of course there’s a direct link. You did a really nice job of linking several health consequences to both too little snow and too much snow.
ReplyDeleteIn like that you mentioned mental health. It’s often overlooked – you’re not the only one! But it’s a critical aspect of overcoming extreme (and not so extreme) events – when someone is suffering from depression or anxiety of PTSD, it makes it all the more difficult for them to take care of themselves or others in every other way. And it’s unfortunately all too common an effect of climate change, both disasters and slow, chronic changes. I would imagine that farmers would suffer large losses in pride if their whole crops are lost due to too long or short of a snow season, for example. They then have no way to provide for their families, which often leads to depression and/or anxiety.
Your explanation of mitigation and adaptation are good. Can you think of examples of each one?
You give a good example of how public health officials could help solve problems linked to climate change. Which of the ten elements of public health services does this relate to?
Your example of the research going on near your town is a very nice way that your town is preparing for climate change. Do they have any results yet?
Good job on this blog – I look forward to next week!