Climate Change & Public Health by City-Tech Blogger Johnny Guevara

Unfortunately, climate change has not been much of a concern to the public. There are some people that believe it is only affecting animals, or only areas in the Arctic. Or that it is too far away to affect them. However, as climate change continues to get worse, so does public health. The consequences of climate change could eventually kill us all. According to the Lancet, a British medical journal: “Climate change could be the biggest global health threat of the 21st century.” High temperatures help to set the stage for a public health disaster since they disrupt global ecosystems and food production. They also cause extreme weather events and wildfires. They threaten coastal communities with accelerated sea level rise and create the perfect conditions for deadly diseases to spread. Global temperatures this year have totally bypassed previous records. Of the last twelve years, ten of them have been the hottest on record. Fortunately, global leaders have finally begun to step up and tackle these climate change-fueled threats to public health before it comes full circle and takes us out.