CLIMATE CHANGE AND HEALTH
The Emergency Physician’s Starter Guide to Climate Change Resources
SAEM PULSE | JULY-AUGUST 2020
By Caitlin Rublee, MD, MPH and Katelyn Moretti, MD on behalf of SAEM’s Climate Change and Health Interest Group
32
Climate change is harming our patients. Emergency departments and acute care services are, and will continue to be, at the front lines of treating illnesses related to acute and chronic climate stressors. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, health effects from rising temperatures, extreme weather events, rising sea levels, and increased atmospheric carbon dioxide will continue to accumulate. From direct trauma, mental health effects, and changing infectious disease burdens, it is clear that the consequences are geographically diverse and widespread — a public health problem requiring us to enact change. For the emergency medicine physician, an effective response lies in preparedness and in supporting community resilience.
I this article the authors share insights with health professionals new to this concept and link the intersection of climate change and emergency medicine with key resources and opportunities for professional engagement.
Key Resources Climate Science and Health Intersect
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), scientific societies, government agencies, and organizations have robust evidence that greenhouse gas emissions are rising due to human activity, contributing to increased climate variability impacting health. The IPCC shares past, present, and future climate scenarios based on leading evidence.
The Synthesis Report (SYR) of the IPCC Fifth Assessment Report (AR5) The Impacts of Climate Change on Human Health in the United States: A Scientific Assessment
Extreme Weather Events are Intensifying and Increasing in Frequency
Extreme heat, wildfires, floods, droughts, and hurricanes directly and indirectly threaten health and amplify conditions where health care facilities suffer care disruptions and in severe cases, evacuations. Pharmacy closures impact outpatient medication availability, blocked transportation routes halt ambulances, facility damage ceases supply chain production, and power outages ruin temperature-sensitive