Essay Sample on Policy, Environmental Issues and Subspecialties

There exists irrefutable scientific evidence that the global climate is changing as evidenced by the augmentation in temperatures, thawing of snow and ice, a rise in sea levels and unprecedented variations in the climate (Hess, McDowell, & Luber, 2012). These variations are likely to have a momentous impact on the human health. For instance, differences in temperatures are associated with hypothermia and hyperthermia; droughts lead to famine; floods lead to displacement, injuries, and fatalities while other natural calamities such as tornadoes, forest fires, and hurricanes have all been associated with climate change. Equally important is the fact that tropical diseases represent an entire category of which draws its name from effects of weather and climate, which increase the risk of vector-borne diseases such as dengue fever and malaria (Watts et al., 2015). Additionally, changes in weather have the potential of increasing the risk of water-borne and foodborne diseases including evidence-based research on the association between weather and mortality as far as respiratory and cardiovascular diseases are concerned. Research indicates that projected climate is bound to affect specific groups of individuals more than others depending on their geographical location and their ability to cope with different climate hazards. The Twenty-First Century has witnessed a surge in population growth in coastal areas in western and southern regions of the United States (Zhu, Woodall & Clark, 2012). These areas are most sensitive to air pollution, heat waves and coastal storms. For instance, populations in the Mountain West are susceptible to water shortages and increased incidences of wildfires. Residents in the artic are likely to experience problems that are caused by reduced sea ice. Additionally, across the Western U.S both increasing population and alteration in the climate which creates demand for water, transportation and energy infrastructure. Consequently, this paper focuses on highlighting the need to perceive changes in climate and weather patterns as a public health issue including the strategies that may be adopted to curtail the problem of climate change and the impact it has created on health care delivery systems.

Problem Statement

The principal concern of the health outcomes of climate change is rooted in the deaths and injuries that occur as a result of adverse weather events; infectious diseases that are related to the alterations in vector biology and food contamination, respiratory diseases and cardiovascular diseases as a result of air pollution; nutritional deficiencies that is associated with changes in food production (Wheeler & Von Braun, 2013). Other related conditions include parasites, pests, and pathogens affecting agriculture, livestock, forests and coastal marine organisms which cause changes in the ecosystem functions and its composition including changes in life-support systems which directly impacts human health. Changes in weather patterns and climate have also emerged as a leading global threat in the Twenty-first Century as demonstrated by the rise in incidence and magnitude of life-threatening weather conditions such as floods, heat waves, wildfires and storm surges. Moreover, instances of poor air quality and impact on drinking and recreational water quality are a testament to climate change. Healthcare facilities have the responsibility of sustaining public health preparedness especially in the event of scientific uncertainty that is characteristic of events from climate change (McMichael, 2013). This occurrence is synonymous with the precautionary principle, which stipulates that when an incident advances the threat of causing harm to the environment or human health, preventive measures ought to be considered even if cause and effect relationships have not been identified yet. Definite climate change aftermaths are unpredictable particularly derivative and indirect outcomes the mass movement of people from one area to the next. Nevertheless, the widespread ideology of the need to create public awareness that climate change may have a major influence on public health, even without scientific certainty; has been demonstrated where public health sectors secure the minimum margins of safety as per the fundamental principles of professional practice.

Suggestions for Addressing Climate Change

One of the most crucial stakeholders is the governor who provides leadership to ensure follow-through of the climate change policies. State legislatures have the responsibility of providing guidance and oversight on the policies that would necessitate legislative action. Moreover, state agencies are in charge of maintaining government data, have authority on policy-making and analytical capacity. Policy makers may also partner with universities to spearhead stakeholders meeting, provide expertise and analytic support (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, 2014). The success of climate change interventions is dependent on an outreach strategy to engage the public where they may be directly involved such as reductions in greenhouse emissions.

In global circles, human health impacts of climate change will continue to disproportionately affect Third World nations, which are characterized by the prevalence of conspicuous health burdens that are associated with poverty and worsened by the changing climate. Thus, the ideal approach would be to perceive climate change as a public health issue as characterized by the available public health service that transcends across both a populace and clinical health services with an emphasis of collaboration between government and private sector partnerships. The fundamental principle in public health is prevention which aims at precluding the onset of illness and injuries which may denote by smoking cessation efforts or immunization (Dodman, Bicknell, & Satterthwaite, 2012). Secondary prevention measures would be more concerned with diagnosing diseases early with the objective of diminishing the expected health burdens. A clinical example would be screening for breast cancer to establish preventive interventions. Tertiary prevention occurs soon as the disease is diagnosed and approaches are formulated to reduce morbidity, restore function and avoid complications. In essence, primary prevention is consistent with the conceptualization of mitigation where efforts are geared towards slowing, alleviate or even reverse the processes that contribute to climate change such as reducing gas emissions (Patz et al., 2014). Secondary and tertiary prevention efforts correspond to adaptation ideologies where efforts are directed towards anticipating and anticipating the effects of climate change and in the long run be able to diminish the related health burdens. Nevertheless, the mitigation efforts are likely to be directed toward other sectors other than health such as energy and transportation. One of the most crucial stakeholders is the governor who provides leadership to ensure follow-through of the climate change policies. State legislatures have the responsibility of providing guidance and oversight on the policies that would necessitate legislative action. Moreover, state agencies are in charge of maintaining government data, have authority on policy-making and analytical capacity. Policy makers may also partner with universities to spearhead stakeholders meeting, provide expertise and analytic support (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, 2014). The success of climate change interventions is dependent on an outreach strategy to engage the public where they may be directly involved such as reductions in greenhouse emissions.

Impact on Health Care Delivery System

Climate change creates an adverse effect on the continuity and quality of care at healthcare facilities due to frequent life-threatening weather events and augmented health hazards which range from poor air quality and a range of climatic hazards such as vector-borne and zoonotic diseases. Furthermore, health care facilities are increasingly susceptible to the impact of climate change if they do not adapt and consider the underlying risks while implementing preventive measures (Woodward et al., 2014). For instance, natural calamities result in public health emergencies, which may overwhelm the carrying capacity of a hospital, disrupt services or even damage the infrastructure leading to increased health risks to both patients and the staff. According to Myers et al. (2012), extreme heats are directly proportional to increments in visits to healthcare facilities. Health facilities also depend on the availability of critical community services such as electricity, clean drinking water, and waste disposal services among other which may all be destroyed as a result of climate change. Consequently, health professionals would require better training to be equipped with the proficiencies diagnose and treat emerging diseases as well as responding to an assortment of climate-related public health emergencies.

Conclusion

There exists sufficient evidence that we are bound to experience the adverse effects of climate change at a rapid pace, and this trend may culminate in the present and future adverse health effects on human health and illnesses and injuries that result from severe weather events. The indirect effects may be characterized by regional conflict, mass migration, anxiety, and depression. Equally important is the fact that the complexity and scope of the challenges associated with climate change are unprecedented, there exists the conceptual framework of how public health facilities may take preventive measures. Consequently, the public health reaction to changes in climate would comprise preventing injuries, reducing risks and enhancing public health readiness while taking into consideration ethical decision-making processes.

References

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Myers, T. A., Nisbet, M. C., Maibach, E. W., & Leiserowitz, A. A. (2012). A public health frame arouses hopeful emotions about climate change. Climatic Change, 113(3-4), 1105-1112.

Patz, J. A., Frumkin, H., Holloway, T., Vimont, D. J., & Haines, A. (2014). Climate change: challenges and opportunities for global health. Jama, 312(15), 1565-1580.

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Wheeler, T., & Von Braun, J. (2013). Climate change impacts on global food security. Science, 341(6145), 508-513.

Woodward, A., Smith, K. R., Campbell-Lendrum, D., Chadee, D. D., Honda, Y., Liu, Q., ... & Confalonieri, U. (2014). Climate change and health: on the latest IPCC report. The Lancet, 383(9924), 1185-1189.

Zhu, K., Woodall, C. W., & Clark, J. S. (2012). Failure to migrate: lack of tree range expansion in response to climate change. Global Change Biology, 18(3), 1042-1052.