… The climate crisis is indirectly affecting human physical and physical health
BY PHUMELELE MKHONTA
(Info sourced from PubMed and Harvard Chad Home)
MBABANE– The change in seasons may mean the increase in allergic reactions and what does this mean with the drastic changing climate.
According to Pub Med, the climate crisis poses a major challenge to human health as well as the healthcare system and threatens to jeopardize the medical progress made in recent decades. However, addressing climate change may also be the greatest opportunity for global health in the 21st century.
“The climate crisis and its consequences, such as rising temperatures, forest fires, floods, droughts, and changes in the quality and quantity of food and water, directly and indirectly affect human physical and mental health. More intense and frequent heat waves and declining air quality have been shown to increase all-cause mortality, especially among the most vulnerable.
“Climate warming alters existing ecosystems and favours biological invasions by species that better tolerate heat and drought. Pathogen profiles are changing, and the transmission and spread of vector-borne diseases are increasing. The spread of neophytes in Europe, such as ragweed, is creating new pollen sources that increase allergen exposure for allergy sufferers.
“In addition, the overall milder weather, especially in combination with air pollution and increased carbon dioxide levels, is changing the production and allergen city of pollen. The phenomenon of thunderstorm asthma is also occurring more frequently,” read the PubMed.
In view of the increasing prevalence of allergic diseases due to climate change, early causal immunomodulatory therapy is therefore all the more important. During a climate consultation, patients can receive individual advice on climate adaptation and resilience and the benefits of carbon dioxide reduction-for their own and the planet’s health. Almost 5 per cent of all greenhouse gas emissions in Europe come from the healthcare sector. It thus has a central responsibility for a climate-neutral and sustainable transformation.
Q&A with Harvard Chad Home:
What does climate change have to do with allergies?
Burning fossil fuels releases carbon pollution that warms the planet and drives climate change. The carbon pollution and warmer temperatures cause plants to produce more pollen over longer growing seasons. Burning fossil fuels also releases air pollutants and air particles that can make allergy symptoms worse.
- Pollen counts have been increasing over the last 20+ years in the United States at least in part due to higher temperatures and higher levels of carbon dioxide in the air.
- Scientists predict that average pollen counts in 2040 will be more than double what they were in 2000.
Climate change has already led to earlier springs and later winters, which means a longer growing season for plants that make pollen.
- A study of 60 pollen-collecting stations in the US and Canada found that pollen season is now 20 days longer on average than it was in 1990.
- One study found that in 2000, annual pollen production began on April 14 and peaked on May 1, but that in 2040, pollen levels are predicted to peak as early as April 8.
Reducing fossil fuels can have the double benefit of slowing climate change and reducing allergy symptoms and asthma attacks that are triggered by allergies.
How can I protect my child in worsening allergy seasons?
Here are some steps you can take to reduce your child’s exposure to pollen and other allergens:
- Check the pollen levels near your home using online tools like pollen.com
- When pollen levels are high, keep your child indoors and close your windows
- Meet with your child’s doctor before allergy season begins so you have medicine ready when your child starts having symptoms
- Consider purchasing an air filter for your house or child’s bedroom
- Change clothes and take off your shoes when you come inside
- Have your child shower and shampoo at night before bed
How can I do my part to take action against climate change?
Climate change can feel overwhelming, but the good news is we already have solutions to improve the health of your child and children all over the world. The same actions we take to curb climate change also have immediate health benefits.
Here are simple steps you can take:
- Educate yourself. Learn about environmental justice and how systemic racism and other forms of oppression lead to some children bearing a higher burden from climate change. Share resources with your community.
- Plant trees and other vegetation where you live, and encourage your community to do the same. Trees provide shade to help you stay cool on hot days. Adding trees and other vegetation to your neighbourhood can also help improve the air quality where you live, especially in urban areas, and can improve mental health. Some types of plants can cause more pollen in the air, so check with the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology’s guide to plant selection to learn which plants are safer for people with allergies.
- Choose walking, biking or public transit whenever possible, and consider carpooling. If you are buying a car, choose an electric car or find one with better fuel economy. The more gas a car burns per mile, the more harmful air pollution it generates. Getting exercise may also help improve a child’s mental health.
- Reduce, reuse, and recycle. A timeless piece of advice. The more we buy new, the greater our carbon footprint.
- Invest in energy efficiency and renewable energy. Ask your local leaders to invest in renewable energy in public buildings, and support building regulations that require solar panels and energy-saving policies for new buildings. Conserving energy saves money and reduces our carbon footprint.
- Start a conversation. Talk to your family and friends about climate change to make sure they know it’s a health issue, especially for our children, and that we need to work with everyone to take action to fight this climate crisis. Work with your place of worship and in your children’s school to see what you can do to spread the word and keep our kids healthy, and get involved in climate change planning at the state and local level.
Get involved. Many towns and cities want to decarbonize and become more resilient to climate change—in fact they’re leading on this issue—and parents can play a role in shaping those efforts. Ask local leaders if your community has a climate action plan, and how your neighbourhood can become safer and healthier by making it greener, more walkable and bike-friendly. You can ask decision makers to add green space by planting trees, increase access to public transit, create policies for healthy school environments, and invest in electric vehicle infrastructure. These actions will benefit everyone’s health and especially the health of our children.
