Marissa Huth

PH 2100-005
Professor Welch
19 September 2017

Climate Change: Killing Polar Bears and Humans

Climate change is a major issue in today's world and needs to be combated by many
fields including public health. Climate change is a change in typical or average weather of a
region or city (What are, 2011). It could be a change in anything from a regions average
annual rainfall to a shift in the average temperature in a city (What are, 2011). Climate
change could also be used to reference a change in Earths overall climate. Examples include
a change in Earths average temperature [or] a change in Earths typical precipitation
patterns (What are, 2011). On the surface climate change does not appear to be a public
health issue. After all, most people only think of climate change as causing a rise in sea level, a
decrease in snow and ice cover, and a change in rainfall patterns and growing seasons
(What are, 2011). This is correct. However, climate change is also changing people's health
for the worse. Infectious diseases, heat strokes, respiratory problems, and heart disease are all
increasing because of climate change (Pascual, 2016). Additionally, climate change can have a
negative impact on mental health (Pascual, 2016). Public health is the fulfillment of societys
interest in assuring the conditions in which people can be healthy (Schneider, 2016). Climate
change fits the definition of a threat to public health perfectly because it threatens the
environmental conditions in which people can be healthy.

Climate change is having a negative impact on our global health in many ways. An
[i]ncrease in [the Earths] mean temperature and an increase in the severity and frequency of
heatwaves bring about substantial and potentially fatal health risks to most populations (Watts
et al., 2017). Climate changes effect on mental health and wellbeing is an issue of particular
importance (Watts et al., 2017). Climate change negatively impacts the mental health of those
who witness deadly natural disasters, often resulting in the development of PTSD (post
traumatic stress disorder) , depression, and/or anxiety (Padhy, 2015). Air pollution that results
from people not having access to clean energy leads to deaths from pneumonia, stroke, lung
cancer, heart disease, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease(Watts et al., 2017). In the
future, infectious diseases may be worse due to climate change. Climate change alters the
distribution and impacts of infectious diseases (Watts et al., 2017).

Climate change is not just a public health issue because it affects the world population's
health; it is also an issue because public health prevention techniques can be used to approach
climate change and its effects. According the American Journal of public health, primary
prevention can be equated to mitigation and can be used to hinder the effects of climate change
by slow[ing], stabiliz[ing], or revers[ing] climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emission
(Frumkin, 2008). Both secondary and tertiary prevention efforts can be equated to adaptation
through endeavors to anticipate and prepare for the effects of climate change, and thereby to
reduce the associated health burden (Frumkin, 2008). Primary prevention or mitigation efforts
tend to mainly take place in fields other than public health. The only contributions that public
health officials can take to mitigate climate change is by producing useful information informing
individuals that they should choose safe, healthful technologies. However, secondary and tertiary
prevention efforts are closely related to conventional medical and public health practices
(Frumkin, 2008).

One of the many functions of public health is to promote policies that will ensure the
health of citizens. Public health policies can be controversial for many reasons including the
economic impact they could have, the potential of them infringing on individual liberty, and the
potential for them to go against peoples moral and religious beliefs (Schneider, 2016). Climate
change is considered a controversial issue in certain policy-making and public streams (Negev
& Kovats, 2016). Despite the fact that few public health laws and regulations have a direct
bearing on climate change, it is still within the job of public health to promote policies in favor
of reducing climate change so that the negative health impacts of climate change will be limited
(Frumkin, 2008).

A major objection to policies whose purposes are to reduce climate change is that they
have a negative impact on the economy. Many people, including President Trump, believe that
the economy should take precedence over climate change policies. In March 2017, Trump signed
an executive order whose purpose is to prioritize American jobs over climate change by
curb[ing] the federal governments enforcement of climate regulations (Merica, 2017). One of
the motives behind this order is to bring more coal jobs back to the United States (Merica,
2017). According to the Harvard College Global Health Review, people who live in areas of coal
mining suffer from a higher rate of chronic heart, respiratory, and kidney disease mortality as
well as having higher rates of birth defects (Sapire, 2012). Peoples health should never be
pushed aside for economic gain. Bringing more employment to Americans will not matter if
there are not any people left to work after disease strikes.

Some people are opposed to climate change policies not because of the potential negative
economic impact but because climate change policies go against their religious beliefs. Some
denominations of conservative christians, such as evangelicals, fear that climate change
prevention efforts are the stewardship of Gods creation, and that these efforts are therefore
causing us to [drift] toward neo-pagan nature worship, and from apocalyptic beliefs about end
times that make it pointless to worry about global warming (Zaleha, 2015). It is not the job of
one group of people to decide what is best for everyone. Although climate change policies go
against the beliefs of conservative christians, it is still the job of public health officials to
promote the health of the many, even if it goes against the beliefs of the few.

Another reason people oppose federal regulations of climate change is that they claim
that some of these policies infringe on their individual liberties. One example of this is when the
use of private property is prohibited under laws such as the Clean Water Act (Spencer, 2013).
Although, peoples land should not be taken away from them without compensation if it there is
a health hazard the needs of the larger population need to be prioritized. Personal freedoms are a
very important aspect of the American Constitution. However, slightly infringing on personal
freedoms for the good of the whole population should be allowed.
 On the surface climate change does not appear to be a public health issue. However, since
climate change is having a negative impact on the global population's health, it can be viewed as
one. Additionally, this issue of climate change can be approached using the public health
prevention techniques: primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention. Also, since one of the
functions of public health is to create and promote policies that will protect the conditions in
which people can be healthy, promoting policies that limit climate change falls under their
responsibility. Climate change and climate change policy is controversial for many reasons
including the potential negative impact, religious opposition, and the potential infringement on
individual liberties. Despite all the opposition, public health officials need to continue to work
towards policy reform because the health of the world and people that live in it far outweigh the
selfish opinions of those who are against climate change policies.

Works Cited
Frumkin, H., Hess, J., Luber, G., Malilay, J., & McGeehin, M. (2008). Climate Change: The
Public Health Response. American Journal of Public Health, 98(3), 435445.
http://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2007.119362

Merica, D. (2017, March 29). Trump dramatically changes US approach to climate change.
Retrieved September 24, 2017, from http://www.cnn.com/2017/03/27/politics/
trump-climate-change-executive-order/index.html

Negev, M., & Kovats, R.S. (2016). Climate change adaptation in the reorganized UK public
health system: A view from local government. Science Direct, 134, 102-104.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.puhe.2015.12.001

Padhy, S. K., Sarkar, S., Panigrahi, M., & Paul, S. (2015). Mental health effects of climate
change. Indian Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 19(1), 37.
http://doi.org/10.4103/0019-5278.156997

Pascual, K. J. (Ed.). (2016, October 11). 5 reasons why climate change is a public health danger.
Retrieved September 21, 2017, from Huffingtonpost.com website:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/5-reasons-why-climate-change-is-a-public-health-
danger_us_57fc02a8e4b0b665ad818866

Sapire, R. (2012, February 1). Engulfed in a toxic cloud: The effects of coal mining on human
health. Retrieved September 24, 2017, from https://www.hcs.harvard.edu/hghr/print/spring-
2011/coal-mining/

Schneider, M.-J. (2016). Introduction to public health (5th ed.). Burlington, MA: Jones &
Bartlett Learning.

Spencer, J., Boccia, R., & Gordon, R. (2013, January 14). Environmental conservation based
on
individual liberty and economic freedom. Retrieved September 24, 2017, from
http://www.heritage.org/environment/report/
Environmental-conservation-based-individual-liberty-and-economic-freedom

Watts, N., Adger, N. W., Ayeb-Karlsson, S., Bai, Y., Byass, P., Campbell-Lendrum, D., . . .
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change. Sciencedirect, 389(10074), 1151-1164. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-
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What are climate and climate change? (2011, October 26). Retrieved September 21, 2017, from
Nasa.gov website: https://www.nasa.gov/audience/forstudents/5-8/features/nasa-knows/
What-is-climate-change-58.html

Zaleha, B. D., & Szasz, A. (2015). Why conservative christians dont believe in climate
change [Abstract]. Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, 71(5), 19-30.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0096340215599789