Health Impacts:

• Climate change is expected to intensify air pollution in specific regions through heat or wildfire emissions, exacerbating respiratory issues such as decreased lung function and higher rates of asthma related hospitalizations

• The increase in extreme weather events, such as flooding or droughts, due to climate change have posed significant health hazards. Floods are the second deadliest weather-related hazard in the nation, causing around 98 deaths annually. Droughts contribute to various health risks such as wildfires, dust storms, and degraded water quality

Government & Policy

• Paris Agreement

  • The goal is to hold “the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels” and pursue efforts “to limit the temperature increase to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.”

  • Adopted by 196 Parties at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP21)

  • Since 2020, countries have been submitting their national climate action plans, known as nationally determined contributions (NDCs)

  • https://unfccc.int/process-and-meetings/the-paris-agreement

• Kyoto Protocol

  • Aim to reduce emission of gases that contribute to global warming. In force since 2005, the protocol called for reducing the emission of six greenhouse gases in 41 countries plus the European Union to 5.2 percent below 1990 levels during the “commitment period” 2008–12.

  • Currently, there are 192 Parties to the Kyoto Protocol

  • Although there are questions of its effectiveness

• The Doha Amendment 

  • Establishes a second commitment period (2013–20) for the Kyoto Protocol

  • Sets a goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 18% compared to 1990 levels for participating countries.

Hold Companies Accountable!

• Fossil fuel dependency

  • Fossil fuels were door opening for technology. They powered the industrial revolution, and shaped transportation and technology. 

  • “By 1900, coal was the primary industrial fuel, taking over from biomass to make up half the world’s fuel use. Coal has three times the energy density by weight of dry wood and is widely distributed throughout the world. Coal became the preferred fuel for ships and locomotives, allowing them to dedicate less space to fuel storage.”

  • “The oil era really took off with the introduction of the Ford Model-T in 1908 and the boom in personal transportation after World War II. Oil overtook coal to become the world’s largest energy source in 1964.”

Climate Refugees

• An increase in temperatures globally has caused more natural disasters, such as more intense hurricanes, rising sea levels, droughts, and floods.  

• Because of these natural disasters, life in certain areas, especially poor and vulnerable communities, has become unsustainable, forcing people to flee their homes.   

• An estimate from the World Bank predicts that if nothing is done to reduce climate change, there will be upwards of 86 million international climate refugees from Sub-Saharan Africa, 40 million from South Asia, and 17 million from Latin America – that means upwards of 143 million international climate refugees. 

• This estimate does not include people displaced within their own country.  

• This estimate also states that if we take action to combat climate change now, the number of people displaced because of climate change could be reduced by up to 80%.

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