Climate Change

1) What do you personally find most troubling about climate change?

This is an exceptionally difficult question to answer, because pretty much all aspects of climate change are troubling. Of the most pertinent, I believe the seemingly deliberate attempts by some in government and in business to undermine the seriousness of climate change is the most troubling.  Also, many of these people in the government and business, such as Donald Trump and his appointed director for the EPA Scott Pruitt, are able to convince many who support them that climate change is some sort of conspiracy theory. Consequently, because such people who are adamantly opposed to climate change science are in positions of great power and authority, the prospects for the health of our environment, and ultimately all life itself, are very bleak. 

From all of this I would say that the election of Donald Trump and the appointment of Scott Pruitt as the head of the EPA are the most troubling aspects of climate change to me. As stated earlier, because of these men's negative stance on climate change science, and their positions of authority, the future of the planet is surely in grave jeopardy. At least prior to the election we had a government that appeared to be attempting positive changes for the environment and openly supporting climate science efforts, but now we have much the opposite. 

2) As a public health professional, what do you think needs the greatest attention right now?

I would say that activism and marching in protest would be important for an increase in public awareness, but I am unsure of the effectiveness of such measures. Increasingly, I feel that protest have become ineffective at producing any change, as they become more of a social event to get your picture posted on Instagram, or even an outright riot, rather than a sincere effort to produce positive changes. The change that is needed is from within. More specifically, those of us who have the privilege and ability to produce change from within, such as environmentally friendly policies or innovation of environmentally friendly mechanisms, should be doing all that we can to bring such efforts to fruition. 

Also, we need to collaborate with those who disagree with climate science, particularly lay-people. One of the disturbing trends I have seen which I believe has led to the election of people like Donald Trump, is an increasing inability to collaborate or willingness to listen to those who hold an alternative viewpoint. We cannot isolate and discredit those who disagree with climate science, because people like Donald Trump will take advantage of their anger, manipulate them into believing he is their champion, and take power.  Instead, there are protest, riots, violence, and upheaval in response to an opposing viewpoint. Such actions will not, in my opinion, create an environment where any change can occur. This should not be a climate believer vs climate denier war, but rather, we should seek to understand the viewpoints of those who disagree with climate science no matter how hard that may be, and attempt to appeal to them on some level, so as to produce collaboration towards the goal of stymieing climate change.

3) If you were visiting with a long-lost relative who had never heard about climate change, how would you describe it and its attendant human health and ecological threats?

I would simply state that as a consequence of human technological advancement and growth, we have neglected to consider our impact on the environment. We have come to understand that how we transport ourselves, how we produce our food, how we manufacture, use and dispose of products, can have a negative impact on the environment. Now that we understand the implications of our actions on the environment, we must change. Moreover, that change must come soon, because our climate cannot sustain itself for much longer, if we neglect to produce changes.