Human Health and Climate Change: Case Studies | Nitin Damle | TEDxURI
Summary
TLDRThis script narrates four real-life stories illustrating the severe health impacts of climate change, including heat stroke fatalities, exacerbated asthma and allergies, increased tick-borne diseases, and foodborne illnesses. It emphasizes the urgent need for global action towards renewable energy, sustainable practices, and international agreements to mitigate these effects, highlighting the moral, ethical, and economic imperative to act for the health of our planet and its inhabitants.
Takeaways
- 🌡️ Heat waves are increasing in frequency and causing health issues like heat exhaustion and even death, as illustrated by the elderly couple's story.
- 🏃♀️ Climate change is affecting athletes, with the college runner's story highlighting the challenges of managing asthma and allergies amidst longer allergy seasons and increased air pollution.
- 🌳 The rise in vector-borne diseases like Lyme disease and babesiosis is linked to warmer temperatures, as seen in the patient's hiking experience.
- 🍽️ Disruptions in food production, shipment, and storage due to climate change are leading to a rise in foodborne illnesses such as giardia.
- 📈 The incidents shared in the stories are becoming exponentially more common, emphasizing the urgency of addressing climate change.
- 🌍 Climate change has wide-ranging effects on the environment, health, and quality of life, with the most vulnerable populations being disproportionately affected.
- 🔥 The consequences of a warming earth include increased heat waves, air pollution, melting Arctic ice, rising sea levels, and more frequent extreme weather events.
- ⚡️ Transitioning to 100% clean, renewable energy sources like wind, solar, hydrogen, and safe nuclear power is crucial in mitigating climate change.
- 🌱 Individual actions matter, and people can make a difference by adopting plant-based diets, using renewable energy, and leading healthy, active lifestyles.
- 🌳 Planting trees and reducing commutes are simple yet effective ways to combat climate change and improve air quality.
- 🌐 Global cooperation through agreements like the Paris Accord and COP 26 is essential for a united front against climate change.
Q & A
What was the situation of the elderly couple from the first story?
-The elderly couple lived in Peacetale without air conditioning, had limited resources and family support, and suffered from heat stroke, leading to heart failure and unfortunately, both passed away.
How does climate change affect the frequency of heat waves?
-Climate change increases the frequency of heat waves, leading to more cases of heat exhaustion and death, as experienced by the elderly couple in the story.
What challenges is the college runner facing due to her health conditions?
-The college runner struggles with asthma and allergies, which affect her athletic performance despite being on medication, highlighting the impact of longer and more intense allergy seasons due to climate change.
What is the significance of the increase in allergy seasons from 177 to 190 days?
-The increase in allergy seasons indicates a direct effect of climate change, with longer periods of pollen exposure, leading to increased health issues and costs for medication.
How does air pollution contribute to the health issues mentioned in the script?
-Air pollution exacerbates respiratory issues like asthma and allergies, affecting 7 million people globally who live in areas exceeding WHO limits on particulate matter.
What are the consequences of the patient's hiking trip in Arcadia?
-The patient contracted Lyme disease and babesiosis, tick-borne illnesses that have seen a tenfold increase in incidence in New England, attributed to warming temperatures.
Why are vector-borne illnesses becoming more common?
-Vector-borne illnesses like Zika, West Nile virus, and Eastern Equine Encephalitis are becoming more common due to longer warm periods, which allow vectors like ticks, mosquitoes, and sandflies to thrive.
What was the cause of the patient's diarrhea and abdominal pain after visiting a cilantro bar?
-The patient acquired a parasitic infection called giardia from spoiled food, reflecting the exponential growth in foodborne illnesses due to disruptions in food production and storage caused by climate change.
How does climate change impact food security and health?
-Climate change disrupts food production, shipment, and storage, leading to food insecurity and an increase in viral, bacterial, and parasitic infections.
What are the broader impacts of climate change mentioned in the script?
-Climate change leads to food insecurity, effects on mental health, mass migration, increased heat waves, air pollution, melting Arctic ice, sea-level rise, forest fires, flooding, extreme weather events, and species extinction.
What urgent actions are suggested to mitigate the effects of climate change?
-The script calls for a transition to 100% clean renewable energy, sustainable economic and financial incentives, and global commitments through the Paris Accord and COP 26 agreements.
How can individuals contribute to mitigating climate change?
-Individuals can make a difference by spreading awareness, adopting plant-based diets, using renewable energy, planting trees, reducing commuting, and leading healthy, active lifestyles.
Outlines
🌡️ Health Impacts of Climate Change
The first paragraph of the script discusses the real-life health consequences of climate change. It recounts a tragic incident involving an elderly couple suffering from heat stroke, which resulted in heart failure and death due to the lack of air conditioning and limited resources. The narrative highlights the increasing frequency of heat waves and their deadly effects, such as heat exhaustion and death. The paragraph also touches on the growing prevalence of respiratory issues like asthma and allergies, exacerbated by longer and more intense allergy seasons and increased air pollution. The economic burden of these health issues is underscored by the billions of dollars spent annually on allergy and asthma care.
🌿 Addressing Climate Change: Actions and Solutions
The second paragraph presents a call to action for combating climate change, emphasizing the urgency and the need for a global shift towards 100% clean, renewable energy sources like wind, solar, hydrogen, and safe nuclear power within the next 20 years. It stresses the importance of innovation, economic sustainability, and financial incentives to facilitate this transition. The speaker calls for international cooperation through agreements like the Paris Accord and the COP 26 meetings. Individual actions are also highlighted, such as spreading awareness, adopting plant-based diets, using renewable energy, and leading a healthier lifestyle. The paragraph concludes with a moral, ethical, political, and economic imperative to act against climate change, invoking Margaret Mead's words to inspire collective action for the preservation of our planet.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Climate Change
💡Heat Stroke
💡Heart Failure
💡Asthma
💡Allergies
💡Air Pollution
💡Tick-Borne Illnesses
💡Vector-Borne Illnesses
💡Foodborne Illnesses
💡Renewable Energy
💡Sustainable Practices
Highlights
The elderly couple in South County suffered from heat stroke due to lack of air conditioning and limited resources, leading to heart failure and death.
Increasing frequency of heat waves in the United States is causing more people to suffer from heat exhaustion and death.
A college runner with asthma and allergies struggled to perform due to worsening conditions, highlighting the need for costly medications.
Allergy seasons have lengthened from 177 days to 190 days, and air pollution levels have risen, affecting millions.
The cost of allergy and asthma care has escalated to billions of dollars annually.
A patient contracted Lyme disease and babesiosis, tick-borne illnesses that have seen a tenfold increase in incidence.
Vector-borne illnesses like Zika, West Nile virus, and Eastern Equine Encephalitis are becoming more common due to warming temperatures.
A patient acquired a parasitic infection, giardia, from spoiled food, indicating a rise in food-borne illnesses.
Climate change is causing exponential growth in viral, bacterial, and parasitic infections due to disruptions in food systems.
Food insecurity, mental health effects, and mass migration are increasing as a result of climate change.
Climate change disproportionately affects vulnerable populations such as the elderly, frail, young, poor, and communities of color.
The warming earth leads to a cascade of environmental issues including heat waves, air pollution, and sea level rise.
Urgent action is needed to mitigate climate change effects; failure to act could lead to an uninhabitable earth by the end of the century.
A global shift to 100% clean renewable energy is necessary within 20 years to combat climate change.
Nations must commit to sustainable practices through the Paris Accord and COP 26 agreements to address climate change.
Individuals can make a significant difference by adopting plant-based diets, using renewable energy, and leading healthy lifestyles.
Climate change and health are interconnected moral, ethical, political, and economic imperatives.
Margaret Mead's quote emphasizes the power of small groups of citizens to effect change, encouraging action on climate change.
Transcripts
[Applause]
[Applause]
so i have four real-life stories to tell
you today about the human health effects
of climate change
so it was mid-august last year in south
county on one of our hottest days
i was on call for the emergency room and
got a call
that one of my favorite elderly couple
who lived in peacetale
and had no air conditioning and limited
resources
and family support were there with a
high fever
and confusion they were suffering the
effects
of heat stroke so we cooled them down
and treated them with intravenous fluids
and medication
to lower their temperature but they had
underlying
heart conditions and the demand on the
heart
resulted in heart failure they both
unfortunately
passed away despite our best efforts
more and more people are suffering from
heat exhaustion
and even death as in this couple
it's from the increased frequency of
heat waves in the united states
so my second story is one of a college
runner
who was having trouble staying on the
team because
she was having frequent episodes of
wheezing
and upper respiratory infections she has
asthma
and multiple allergies she was being
treated with inhalers
and other medications but she still
couldn't perform
optimally so more people
are on costly medications and even
steroids
to keep their asthma and allergies under
control so we are seeing
longer and more intense allergy seasons
from 177 days 10 years ago
to 190 days today and an increase in the
levels of air pollution
with 7 million people in the world
living in areas that exceed the world
health organization limits
on particulate manner more people are
seeking care in the office
and in the emergency room at a cost of
11 billion dollars per year
for allergy care and 56 billion dollars
per year for asthma care
the third story is a patient of mine who
went hiking
in arcadia this summer with some friends
he presented to the office with a rash
and joint pains a few days later
he had lyme disease and babesiosis
both are tick-borne illnesses and we've
seen
a tenfold increase in their incidence
in the past several years in new england
in addition vector-borne illness like
zika
and west nile virus and eastern equine
encephalitis
from tick bites sand flies or mosquitoes
is significantly more common and a
result
of warming temperatures for longer
periods
around the world my fourth story
is a patient who went to a cilantro bar
and about a day later
developed diarrhea and abdominal pain
she was healthy
but had acquired a parasitic infection
called giardia
from spoiled foods we are seeing
exponential growths in the number of
viral bacterial
and parasitic infections from a
disruption in food production
shipment and storage from farm to table
due to increased temperature flooding
extreme weather events what is alarming
is that the incidents of the four
stories i shared with you
are exponentially more common today than
even a decade ago
in addition we are seeing more food
insecurity
effects on mental health and mass
migration around the world
climate change affects our environment
our health and quality of life
it disproportionately affects our most
vulnerable populations
the elderly the frail the very young
the poor and communities of color the
warming earth
leads to an increase in heat waves air
pollution
melting of arctic ice sea level rise
increased frequency and intensity of
forest fires
frequent flooding extreme weather events
and mass species extinction it is not
hyperbolic to say
that if we don't act now it will result
in an uninhabitable earth before the end
of the century
so we have one last opportunity to save
the planet
and ourselves and mitigate the effects
of climate change
we need to move to 100 clean renewable
energy
that is wind solar hydrogen and safe
nuclear
within 20 years we need to develop
sustainable
economic and financial incentive through
innovation
and green jobs all nations need to
commit to this
through the paris accord and the
upcoming cop 26 agreements
in november of 2021 in glasgow scotland
you and me as individuals can make a
difference
in mitigating climate change people are
mobilizing all over the world
we need to spread the word with local
state
and national leaders in your civic
organizations
in our schools colleges and universities
about the effects of climate change on
our health we need to eat healthy
plant-based diets
use renewable energy such as electric
cars and solar panels for our homes
we need to plant a tree commute less
walk run and bike and lead healthy lives
so just ask yourself which world do you
want to live in
a world of famine drought heat waves
mass migration violence and air
pollution
are one of healthy diets biking and
hiking
clean energy buildings electric cars and
national stability
climate change and your health is a
moral and ethical
imperative it's a political imperative
and it's an economic imperative so as
margaret mead said
never doubt that a small group of
thoughtful committed citizens
can change the world indeed it's the
only thing that ever has
so go do your part to save animals
plants ourselves and this precious earth
the only home we have ever known
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