The Urgency of Addressing Climate Change in Public Health

The Urgency of Addressing Climate Change in Public Health

Why Climate Change is a Critical Public Health Concern

The public health priority I have chosen from APHA’s 2023 advocacy priorities is addressing the health impacts of climate change. Climate change is an urgent and complex issue with many health risks. Extreme weather events, such as heatwaves, floods, and hurricanes, are becoming more frequent and intense, directly threatening the health and well-being of populations globally. In addition to these immediate impacts, climate change worsens air quality, contributes to respiratory conditions, and can lead to the spread of diseases such as malaria and dengue, which are sensitive to temperature changes. Vulnerable populations, including communities of color, the elderly, children, and those with low incomes, are at heightened risk for the adverse effects of climate change (American Public Health Association, 2023)​.

The importance of this issue cannot be overstated. Climate change is not just an environmental challenge but a public health crisis that could exacerbate existing health disparities. For instance, people in low-income communities may lack access to air conditioning during heatwaves or face housing instability in the aftermath of hurricanes and floods. Additionally, climate change disproportionately affects those living in areas with existing air pollution or limited access to healthcare. By addressing this issue, public health agencies can mitigate the negative impacts on individuals and society​.

Why APHA’s Focus on Climate Change is Justified

In my opinion, addressing climate change indeed constitutes a sound strategy for APHA to undertake. Even though there are many acute concerns in the public health system and multiple priorities to address – from the shortage of healthcare and accessible disease prevention to the rise in infectious disease rates, climate change is one of the most dangerous long-term threats that can compromise all the achieved goals in the field. Climate change has an extensive impact and can increase health disparities, undermine physical structures, and stress the healthcare delivery system (Marten et al., 2020). To fail to address this would be to ignore the fact that the marginalized groups in our society will again be locked out. While APHA could also focus on other goals – be they mental health or gun violence reduction – climate change is a global issue with long-lasting impacts on the planet’s climate and human health.

The Action Plan: How APHA Aims to Tackle Climate Change

APHA conducts an urgent and tangible campaign to mitigate the speed of climate change and ensure that the public health system is ready to tackle its effects. For instance, on environmental issues, APHA advocates for the shift from using fossil fuels to clean energy sources and calls for increased financial support in the CDC Climate and Health Program. By assisting institutions in designing effective climate change adaptation strategies, this program aims to protect people from the health-related consequences of climate change (Mendoza-Vasconez et al., 2022). Moreover, APHA asserts the need to improve infrastructural support and conduct research to address the health issues posed by climate change.

Support for APHA’s Proposed Solutions

I strongly agree with APHA’s recommended actions. Shifting from fossil fuel-based energy systems to renewable sources like wind and solar power not only helps decrease greenhouse gas emissions but also positively impacts respiratory health. Furthermore, improved funding for public health institutions enables communities to address climatic health hazards adequately. Specifically, I endorse the recognition of the need to protect specified communities, especially since they are the ones most affected by the impacts of climate change.

Will APHA’s Efforts Lead to Success?

Regarding whether APHA’s advocacy efforts will be successful, I am cautiously optimistic. Global warming is gradually being considered a major problem, and more people are realizing the importance of the issue, especially with the increase in fatalities resulting from natural disasters such as floods and hurricanes. Most areas have a good cross-party consensus regarding the interest in renewable energy and disaster risk management. One example of this progressive action is the recently passed Inflation Reduction Act, which offers a great funding boost for clean energy (American Public Health Association, 2023). However, some issues still exist politically and financially, especially considering that most industries are against the bill. These challenges suggest that public health must remain an important consideration in climate change mitigation efforts and that continued efforts from individuals and organizations such as APHA will be necessary to overcome them.

Conclusion: Climate Change as a Public Health Imperative

In conclusion, APHA’s focus on addressing the health impacts of climate change is both timely and necessary. Through its fight for cleaner energy, the increase in funding towards enhancing public health infrastructure, and consideration of vulnerable groups affected by climate change, the organization addresses all the aspects that may be affected by climate change on health. While difficulties can be noted, the efforts made by APHA could potentially lead to great and sustainable changes to the development of public health and, hence, should be made a priority for the following year and beyond.

References

American Public Health Association (APHA). (2023). Advocacy Priorities. Retrieved from https://www.apha.org/advocacy

Marten, R., Yangchen, S., Campbell-Lendrum, D., Prats, E. V., Neira, M. P., & Ghaffar, A. (2020). Climate change: an urgent priority for health policy and systems research. Health Policy and Planning, 36(2), 218–220. https://doi.org/10.1093/heapol/czaa165

Mendoza-Vasconez, A. S., McLaughlin, E., Sallis, J. F., Maibach, E., Epel, E., Bennett, G., Nogueira, L., Thayer, J., & Dietz, W. H. (2022). Advocacy to support climate and health policies: recommended actions for the Society of Behavioral Medicine. Translational Behavioral Medicine, 12(4), 535–542. https://doi.org/10.1093/tbm/ibac028

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Public health leaders and organizations can have significant influence on the passing of laws and policies related to public health. The American Public Health Association (APHA) is one of the nation’s leading professional organizations for public health professionals. Each year, APHA identifies a list of their legislative and advocacy priorities.

The Urgency of Addressing Climate Change in Public Health

For this week’s assignment, review APHA’s 2023 advocacy priorities, most of which are rolling into 2024. Select one of the listed priorities and write a 500-word reflection that answers the following questions:

• What is the identified public health priority and why is it important?
• Do you agree with APHA focusing on this issue, or do you think there are other more important public health priorities that didn’t make the list?
• What type of action is APHA advocating take place?
• Do you agree with their recommended action/legislation?
• Do you believe APHA will be successful in its lobbying/advocacy efforts for this particular issue? Why or why not?