In a week when smoke from the widespread West Coast wildfires is affecting air quality in the United States, compounding the challenge of managing a still-raging pandemic and the health disparities it has left behind At first glance, it is not difficult to understand the urgency of taking action to address America’s climate, health and equity crises.
But what can be lost for many, experts said at a virtual event Wednesday morning, is that those problems and solutions are related and should be viewed as such.
“Equity is at the center of every climate or health debate,” said Surili Patel, director of the Center for Climate, Health and Equity at the American Public Health Association. He noted that with the ongoing wildfires, there are certain communities who are unable to shelter in place or evacuate their neighborhoods to escape the polluted air.
“Look anywhere, the people most exposed to pollution are the most economically disadvantaged and often historically discriminated against,” says Aaron Bernstein, a pediatrician who directs the Harvard Center for Climate, Health and the Environment. Global Environment. Bernstein points out that while more studies are required, there is evidence that air pollution affects birth outcomes (babies are more likely to be born premature or with low birth weight) and development. Very young children exposed to air pollution are more likely to have lifelong disabilities and mental health problems; It is also believed to play a role in diabetes and other health problems.
He highlighted the importance of establishing links between health problems and climate change to further highlight the importance and urgency of the latter: “The fundamental thing here is to recognize that the solutions on the table for climate change, for example, renewable energy They are not just solutions for carbon pollution, but solutions for health and equity. In actions that address climate change, there are actions that can promote equity, actions that can help us prevent pandemics and that can contribute to some of the greatest disease burdens in the world ”.
Jane Burston, Executive Director of the Clean Air Fund, urged business leaders to be more vocal and public in their support of the fight against climate change and health and social inequalities.
She points out that Google monitors pollution and that IKEA has started buying crop stubble, which is generally burned and is a major source of pollution in India, to turn into products.
He called on American businesses to unleash their lobbying power to advocate before Congress that climate action is good for everyone: “Corporations must step up and end the myth that economic prosperity and a prosperous or incompatible private sector with social responsibility.
Biogen, the Boston-based biotech company, is working hard to engage its employees on the interrelated issues of climate, health and equity. Chief Executive Officer Michel Vounatsos noted that the company, which has been carbon neutral since 2014, has set goals and created an employee resource network for workers to think more carefully about personal and professional behaviors: how they drive, how they heat their homes, how I work. In the office. He said the response has been enthusiastic.
“We need to have the courage to set metrics,” Vounatsos said. “To speak without measuring is an illusion.”
