INVESTMENT PRIORITY FIX SICK-people & planet.
Pamala Baldwin
C-Suite, 5* hospitality, Longevity & Wellness EXECUTIVE SEARCH, FUTURIST & Founder of YinYang Reserves & Residences, Int'l
“You Can’t Have Healthy People on a Sick, Unhealthy Planet”
Sustainability, Climate Change and Longevity: An Inextricable Link
The interplay between climate change and human longevity is profound, with each significantly influencing the other. Directly, the immediate consequences of climate change—such as heatwaves, floods, and storms—pose substantial risks to human health, causing injuries and fatalities. As these extreme weather events increase frequency and intensity, the danger to human life escalates correspondingly.
Indirectly, climate change impacts human health and longevity through its pervasive effects on the environment. Rising temperatures and more frequent extreme weather events facilitate the spread of infectious diseases like malaria and dengue fever, which have severe health implications. Vulnerable populations, including the elderly, children, and those with preexisting health conditions, are disproportionately affected.
The late Jane Fonda said, “I’m a cancer survivor but also a climate activist and I’m very aware of the connection between the environment and health—especially cancer. The same fossil fuels that are driving the climate crisis are driving this health crisis. The Environmental Protection Agency keeps finding cancer-causing chemicals derived from fossil fuels—such as dioxins, benzene, and naphthalene—in the air, in our water, food, furniture, clothing, and utensils we cook with…. They are also in our bodies. These poisons are even found in the umbilical cords of newborn children”.
A Harvard Center for Public Health study found fossil fuel-related air pollution caused over 8 million deaths globally in 2018—that’s more in one year than died from COVID-19 in three years. It’s a crisis. Oil, gas, and coal are making the planet sick and making people and other animals sick. The updated study reports, “Air pollution from using fossil fuels in industry, power generation, and transportation accounts for 5.1 million extra deaths a year worldwide, finds a new modeling study published by The BMJ today.4 Jun 2024”
“You can’t have healthy people on an unhealthy planet,” states Hannah Pathek, Director of UK and Europe at Forum for the Future. This underscores the interconnectedness of environmental health and human well-being. The drivers of climate change, such as pollution and habitat destruction, also lead to deteriorating air and water quality and biodiversity loss, further compromising human health.
Climate change exacerbates preexisting vulnerabilities, such as age, education, and poverty, resulting in shorter lifespans and the erosion of livelihoods. Additionally, it disrupts the global economy and food security by affecting food production and supply chains, leading to food insecurity and malnutrition, which have severe health consequences for vulnerable populations.
Conflict over resources is another significant concern, with projections suggesting there could be 1.2 billion climate migrants by 2050. Older individuals may find it particularly challenging to relocate from war zones or areas severely affected by climate change, highlighting the need for comprehensive strategies to address the multifaceted impacts of climate change on human longevity.
Construction: Building better cities will never happen. Break it down and rebuild using CIRCULAR ECONOMY CONSTRUCTION; this writer does not believe it possible.” There is no way we as a population will reach zero emissions by 2050. Hospitality is in big trouble. They can lessen the environmental impact of their operations, but greenhouse gases continue spewing dirty air, “ says Pamala Baldwin.
Inaction around climate change – and ageing populations – is where short-term thinking and long-term consequences collide for individuals, businesses, and governments alike. Meeting the challenges of climate change and our ageing populations calls on us all to assess the risks and act before the economic and environmental consequences of failure are irreversible.
References:
Watts, N., et al. (2018). "The Lancet Countdown on health and climate change: from 25 years of inaction to a global transformation for public health." The Lancet, 391(10120), 581-630.
Patz, J.A., et al. (2005). "Impact of regional climate change on human health." Nature, 438(7066), 310-317.
Githeko, A.K., et al. (2000). "Climate change and vector-borne diseases: a regional analysis." Bulletin of the World Health Organization, 78(9), 1136-1147.
WHO (2018). "Climate Change and Health." World Health Organization. Retrieved from https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/climate-change-and-health
Haines, A., et al. (2006). "Climate change and human health: impacts, vulnerability, and mitigation." The Lancet, 367(9528), 2101-2109.
IPCC (2014). "Climate Change 2014: Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerability." Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Retrieved from https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar5/wg2/
Ebi, K.L., et al. (2006). "Climate variability and change and their potential health effects in small island states: information for adaptation planning in the health sector." Environmental Health Perspectives, 114(12), 1957-1963.
Myers, S.S., et al. (2017). "Climate Change and Global Food Systems: Potential Impacts on Food Security and Undernutrition." Annual Review of Public Health, 38, 259-277.
IOM (2019). "Migration and Climate Change." International Organization for Migration. Retrieved from https://www.iom.int/migration-and-climate-change