The Effects of Climate Change on Human Health
The Effects of Climate Change on Human Health
Global warming and climate change threaten wildlife, ecosystems, and existing ways of life. There’s plenty of evidence that the effects of climate change are already impacting human health, too.
Some American politicians on the campaign trail pontificate over the big picture and argue that climate change poses an existential threat to human beings. And in the short term? A warming climate may increase the prevalence of famines, spread insect-borne diseases, displace populations, exacerbate the effects of poverty, and worsen mental health outcomes.
This week, I speak with Dr. Jay Lemery, professor of Emergency Medicine at the University of Colorado School of Medicine and author of Enviromedics: The Impact of Climate Change on Human Health. Dr. Lemery and I discuss the ways in which climate change will effect human health in the coming decades; he offers practical solutions to mitigate risks as a species, too.
Here’s a preview of today’s episode:
[3:05] Why the medical community isn’t paying attention to climate change
[5;30] Why the term ‘global warming’ should be replaced with ‘global weirding’, instead
[11:42] The problem with wildfires and degraded air quality
[16:15] The connection between forced displacement and mental health
This week’s sponsors are:
- Forager Project: Cultivate Democracy and Vote on November 3!
- Blissoma (Use code MINIMAL at checkout for 20% off Sustain Ecosystem products!)
* Want more episodes like this one? Check out #063: Why We’re Sick and How to Get Healthy.
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