There’s A Reason Zika Virus Became A Pandemic In 2015

What scientists and citizens can do to turn the tide on climate change threats

Climate change will result in an additional 250,000 deaths per year due to malnutrition, malaria, diarrhea and heat stress between 2030 and 2050, the World Health Organization predicts.

But despite the emerging research on the effects of climate change on epidemics, scientists are still uncertain how, exactly, climate drives the spread of a pathogen when it comes to epidemics like malaria and other mosquito-borne diseases. The one thing that is clear, however, is that climate change needs to become an integrated part of public health research in the future, Paull concluded.

“Climate change is not only affecting the mosquitos and ticks, but extreme heat events can affect people’s health without any need for a pathogen,” she said. “Focusing research dollars on the effects of climate change and health is going to be a really important area.”  

Despite the troubling signs from the Trump administration’s first actions on climate change, Gupta remains hopeful that climate change scientists will be able to turn the tide on any skepticism or hostility to climate change research in the administration.

“Pandemic preparedness and global public security will inevitably affect the American taxpayer,” he said. “We’re really trying to focus on getting Trump’s attention and, I think, recalibrate some of the administration’s more demagogic comments on climate change.”

Dr. Barry Levy, a public health expert with Tufts University School of Medicine, demurred from commenting on the current presidential administration but said there was a role for Americans to play in turning the tide on climate change and influencing their leaders to take the issue seriously.

On a macro level, these actions range from supporting the 2015 non-binding Paris Agreement to reduce greenhouse gases in 195 countries, to advocating for better research on climate and health problems, to demanding that businesses make their decisions with climate change in mind.

On a personal level, one’s decision to reduce carbon footprints by biking, walking or using public transit can also make a difference, Levy said.

“A lot of the decisions made at the city or neighborhood level are having an important impact on climate change and our response to that,” he said. “So much of public health happens at the local level.”