Why We Should Treat Climate Change Like a Pandemic
Did climate change directly influence the COVID-19 pandemic? Not exactly. But environmental health risks can continue to affect us if we do not modify our mindset and behaviors. Dealing with a worldwide disaster takes a lot of resources and effort to ensure equitable global healthcare for all.
We have seen how certain climate-related natural disasters specific to one location can spread. If there were to be another pandemic, the world would struggle to keep the disease contained. Additionally, if a new disease develops, climate change could significantly exacerbate the issue. Our global population count is on the rise, causing many people to live in densely populated areas. This makes it harder to escape the repercussions of environmental health hazards. Diseases like malaria are sensitive to long-term climate change, since malaria grows in warm conditions that promote high humidity. Forty percent of the world’s population lives in areas with vector-borne disease risk, which means multiple countries would need to spend around 12 billion dollars to help contain the spread. Assuming the spread is more severe in a new case, this could have similar effects as COVID-19.
According to the World Health Organization, “Changes in climate are likely to lengthen the transmission seasons of important vector-borne diseases and to alter their geographic range.” Climate change also affects environmental determinants of health such as clean air, safe drinking water, sufficient food, and shelter. The direct damage costs for health will cost approximately $2-4 billion a year by the year 2030.
The biggest lesson from COVID-19 is that we need to respond faster to outbreaks before it becomes a larger-scale pandemic. Using a preventive public health perspective, we can combat climate change by tackling the root cause of an issue. According to NASA, “responding to climate change will involve a two-tier approach.”
The first approach is mitigation which reduces the flow of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Recycling and driving more fuel-efficient cars can help, but it is not enough given the current state of our world.
The second approach is to learn to adapt to our world as it is now. We have already done the damage, so instead of turning a blind eye we must alter our mindset to create feasible and sustainable solutions.
Climate change is a global problem with economic, social, political, and moral consequences. The most impactful solution will come from a globally coordinated response. Countries should develop international policies and agreements that enforce clean energy usage. Local efforts at city and regional levels also need to engage actively. This could include “public transport upgrades, energy efficiency improvements, and sustainable city planning.”
We have not been concerned enough about the environment. COVID-19 serves as an example of how we can solve issues on a global scale. Let’s not wait for the reality of climate change to forever condemn our world.
