Climate Change Solutions Series - Policy
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Working Group II report released in February warns that failure to limit warming to 1.5C will multiply damage to natural systems and reduce the ability for humans, plants and animals to adapt. Unfortunately, the actions taken or pledged by nations has not been nearly sufficient and much more comprehensive policy measures are necessary avoid catastrophic climate change. In this post I explore climate change action from a policy perspective, discuss major policy strategies adopted at the global, national, and local levels and how these tools may affect long-term emissions, climate change adaptation and associated impacts.
Climate Change and Health Series - Profile: Washington State, USA
Washington State is bounded by the Pacific Ocean (west), Canadian border (north), Idaho border (east) and the Columbia River/Oregon border (south). Washington is unique for its diverse topography which includes two mountain ranges (Cascades and Olympics), five volcanoes (Mt. Baker, Rainier, St. Helens, Adams and Glacier Peak) the largest temperate rainforest (Hoh) in North America, islands, semiarid productive farmland to the east and thousands of rivers, streams and lakes.
Climate Change and Health Series - Inequitable Impact Part I
The effects of climate change are not equitably distributed with those most impacted contributing the least greenhouse gas emissions. A study found that the 10 most food-insecure countries in the world, vulnerable to drought, flooding and reduced agricultural capacity due to climate change, account for less than 1 percent of total global emissions of carbon dioxide.
Climate Change and Health Series - Food Systems
Food cultivation accounts for over one-third of annual greenhouse gas emissions. Carbon dioxide, methane and other emissions directly contribute to human-caused climate change, with diverse impacts on food systems. These include reduced crop productivity and viability due to extreme weather events, increased temperatures and decreased water availability (drought).
Climate Change and Health Series - Air Quality and Public Health
Climate change impacts, including higher temperatures, longer/more extreme wildfire seasons and increasing ground-level ozone may worsen air quality. Poor air quality is associated with several health effects including diminished lung function, asthma attacks, coughing and long-term exposure can increase risk of lung cancer, cardiovascular disease and developmental issues in children. Poor air quality contributes to more than 4 million deaths per year worldwide.
Climate Change and Health Series - How Does Climate Change Impact Public Health?
Few people in the United States are aware of climate change-related health impacts. My goals for this post are to build awareness of connections between climate change and health impacts, how severe these impacts are projected to be in the future and how these impacts are/will disproportionately affect certain populations more than others.
Climate Change and Health Series - Introduction
Climate change presents diverse threats to human health. The World Health Organization estimates that increased extreme heat, precipitation, weather events and other symptoms of climate change contribute to more than 150,000 annual deaths worldwide, a number which is projected to rise above 250,000 by 2030. The next five blog posts will focus on the intersection of climate change and health including impacts, vulnerabilities, mitigation/adaptation strategies, management and policy and communication.
COVID-19 and Food Insecurity
The United States has the largest economy in the world with a total gross domestic product ($18.71 trillion) which far outpaces China ($11.14 trillion). Abundant natural resources and highly mechanized agriculture has enabled the United States to become one of the top producers of food in the world, including corn (#1), beef (#1), chicken (#1), wheat (#3), potatoes (#5) and a significant percentage of many fruits and vegetables. However, despite great wealth and bounty, food insecurity impacts millions of Americans and has significantly worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Affordable Care Act
Constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is currently being debated before the Supreme Court. Passed during the Obama Administration, this health reform package has provided coverage for those with pre-existing conditions, enabled states to dramatically expand Medicaid access and individuals to purchase subsidized private health insurance policies through state and federally administered health insurance marketplaces. For this post I wanted to take a closer look at the ACA, associated impact on insurance coverage access, efforts by the Trump Administration and (primarily) Republican-led states to weaken and/or overturn the law and how it might be expanded in a Biden presidency.
Environmental Policy under the trump Administration
Election day. The potential for change in presidential (and congressional) leadership prompted a look into what might be the most damaging outcome from the last four years. Environmental policy under the trump administration has aggressively prioritized deregulation of fossil fuel industries, opening public lands to energy exploration, reducing protections for threatened/endangered species, weakening industrial/automobile emission standards and abandoning international commitments to address climate change.
Health Disparities in the U.S. - Part 3
Why are there chronic health disparities in the United States? This is the third post in a series exploring this question through review of a specific contributing factor. The first two entries looked at the influence of health insurance access and socioeconomic status on health outcomes. The topic of this post is geographic area. Rapid industrialization, transition from family to large-scale commercial farming and associated population migration from rural to urban areas has contributed to inadequate healthcare facilities/services, limited insurance coverage options and health disparities in the rural United States.
Health Disparities in the U.S. - Part 2
What factors contribute to chronic health disparities in the United States? This is the second post in a series exploring that question through discussion of a specific factor. Post #1 addressed the influence of health insurance structure, coverage disparities and associated impact on health status/outcomes.. Post #2 focuses on a closely related factor – socioeconomic status. Income level is one of the strongest predictors of access to necessary medical care, chronic disease risk/management, risk of premature death and life expectancy.
Health Disparities in the U.S. - Part 1
Bellevue and Auburn are two cities in Western Washington State separated by less than 25 miles. Residents of Bellevue live 10 years longer on average than their counterparts in Auburn. What factors and underlying context(s) account for this disparity? This question is far too broad/complex for a single brief post, so I decided to spend each of the next few posts discussing a specific element contributing to health disparities in the United States. The focus of this post is likely for many the most relevant/obvious contributor to health status – health insurance coverage.
A beginning.
Hey, my name is Colin, a (very) amateur landscape photographer and public health professional based in Washington State. I started the ‘2050 Blog’ to discuss areas of passion such as public health, climate change and environmental conservation. My goals for this site are to highlight specific issues, provide useful information, resources and prompt discussion/reflection.
Litter.
I frequently travel Highway 104 between the Kitsap Peninsula and Olympic National Park and have always been disturbed by the volume of litter next to the roadway. This road serves as the primary conduit for over 3 million annual visitors to the national park. The decision by so many to visit a place of stunning natural beauty and leave piles of trash is baffling and prompted a look into the amount, applicable laws, clean-up costs and environmental impact of litter in the United States…
Covid-19, Climate Change and Public Health.
The COVID-19 pandemic and an historic wildfire season have exposed a chronically under-resourced public health sector and vulnerability to the growing impacts of climate change. An historic wildfire season has presented a second major crisis for millions of residents in several western states including California. This presents enormous challenges for government agencies stretched thin by declining resources. Strengthening our public agencies is a critical step towards building the capacity necessary to better address future climate change and public health challenges.