Climate Change as a Public Health Issue

Climate Change Policy Brief
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Climate Change as a Public Health Issue
The American Public Health Association (2016) states that climate change is one of the most pressing issues that must be addressed to ensure excellent public health at present. The provision aims to enhance the public’s sense of urgency in addressing climate change, expand the advocacy nationwide, and depoliticize the issue.
Population Affected
Climate change affects all populations, particularly the vulnerable, including those with comorbidities, the immunocompromised, and people living in natural disaster-prone areas. An example of this is the Rural Southeastern United States (Sorensen et al., 2020; Gutierrez & LePrevost, 2016).
Level
This is a pressing issue both at a national and international level, as the factors that impact climate change are interrelated. These factors can be secondary to human action, the structure and organization of the environment, and the actions of the national government in coordination with international agencies (Mikhaylov et al., 2020; Gutierrez & LePrevost, 2016).
Evidence
Helldén et al. (2021) suggested that climate change increases disease burden to the weak or exposed children. Moreover, this is the cause of significant debility in this age group, resulting in significant mortality and morbidity not just at present but also for the following decades. Examples of the direct effects are rapidly changing temperatures and heatwaves, while indirect effects are air pollution, aeroallergens, and disturbances in the ecosystem. Li et al. (2016) also iterated that secondary to heatwaves, climate change significantly increases the death rate of the adults and elderly during summer.
As mentioned, climate change impacts the national and international level due to its multifactorial effect, from the smallest species, such as viruses and bacteria that may evolve and become resistant strains, resulting in global pandemics. Conversely, it can also lead to a general collapse in the ecosystem, leading to conflicts between nations (McCoy, 2017).
Problem Statement
Climate change has an undue consequence to various communities, especially to susceptible people. In addition, extreme changes in weather, such as heatwaves, change the predicted effects at a specific time or period of some communicable diseases since the climate influences the air, water, food quality, and national security. This calls for an imperative to act promptly and appropriately to resolve the existing circumstances (American Public Health Association, 2016).
Suggestions to Address the Public Health Impact of Climate Change
Healthcare providers have the knowledge, skill, and expertise to lead the campaigns. Therefore, they must be fully involved at each step of the process. Primarily, public health preparedness must be the main objective of the whole strategy. One plan shall be designed for each problem identified. This action helps in anticipating the possible adverse effects and estimating the magnitude of such events. The formulated strategies shall be known to the public through a public communication campaign coordinated with the national government (...