In this Thursday Teach-In, our focus will be Health. Climate change is a public health emergency which undermines public health in many ways. It puts more U.S. residents – including millions of workers - at risk from extreme heat. It lowers air and water quality, both of which are essential for good health. Climate change reduces access to healthy, reliable food supplies and increases food insecurity. And rising temperatures due to climate change is exposing more people to ticks and mosquitoes that transmit viruses such as Lymes or Zika, West Nile, and dengue. And, as with other threats from climate change, the most vulnerable communities are disproportionately impacted. Climate change is especially hitting indigenous communities hard, in part due to the loss of traditional foods and practices, and in some cases, the mental stress from permanent community displacement.
Health professionals around the world are standing up and calling for action. In the US, over 100 U.S. health and medical organizations including the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Lung Association, the American Heart Association, and the American Public Health Association have signed a “Call to Action on Climate, Health, and Equity” which demands, among other things, a transition to clean renewable energy. We need to stand with these health professionals and demand that our leaders take urgent and transformational action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and support the health and safety of all our communities, and our global neighbors.
We are so excited to have Rev. William Barber, Sandra Steingraber, Ai-jen Poo, and Katharine Hayhoe join us to talk about the link between Health and Climate.