Would you talk to a climatologist about health care issues? Recent studies say public health and weather, more specifically, climate change, are more connected than you might think. In fact, a 2010 study of 32 million U.S. births by Environ International states that among 58,681 single births in California, 分娩前每周平均温度升高10华氏度与8.6% higher risk of preterm birth. For Black mothers, this risk nearly doubles to 15%.
虽然你可能没有意识到，但气候变化正迅速成为一个公共卫生问题. 现在是卫生保健专业人员和患者注意的时候了.
Tevin Wooten, 波士顿全国广播公司气象学家，前天气频道气象学家, 最近，新京十大正规网站的罗宾·莱德贝特在新京十大正规网站电视上讨论了 connection between climate change and population health.
Think regionally.
On the most basic level, 当你想到公共健康和气候变化之间的联系, you have to think regionally. 在特文现在工作的马萨诸塞州，社区经常经历强烈的冬季风暴. 他们已经学会了为这些冬季风暴做准备，并找到了适应冰冻温度的方法. In Arkansas, where Tevin spent the majority of his formative and college years, you may experience a massive snowstorm every five or so years.
“Southern states that experienced a massive cold wave in 2021, like Texas, 2021年2月刚刚经历了创纪录的零下2华氏度, 没有应对严重冷锋的基础设施或应对措施,” Tevin says. The same goes with heat waves. 我们阿肯色州的许多人都记得，当该州某些地区的高温指数远远超过100时，我们的手机上就会不断响起高温警报提醒.
The unprecedented heat wave got so bad, in fact, that the Arkansas Department of Health released a warning 鼓励人们实践热安全，以减轻热应激和其他与热有关的疾病. And that’s not even the highest heat index the U.S. experienced.
护士和医护人员正在应对气候引发的灾难，他们以前可能不必应对. 特文回忆起他与一位护士的谈话，这位护士治疗的哮喘患者比以往任何时候都多:“这位护士说, ‘When I started 30 years ago, around 7% of my patients were treated for asthma. Now, that number’s gone up to nearly 25%.’”哮喘患者的显著增加可以追溯到过去30年空气污染的增加.
正如科学家们警告的那样，全球变暖带来的危险门槛越来越高, 急救人员和卫生专业人员必然会看到气候变化引发的其他健康问题.
Changing weather patterns also affect vector-borne illnesses.
特文还警告说，气候变化如何影响美国的媒介传播疾病. “温暖的空气含有更多的水分，这导致在一年中异常时期发生洪水. 洪水带来了携带多种病毒的蚊子迁徙, including Malaria and Zika Virus."
In the Natural State, until the weather gets just a little cooler, we have to be mindful of ticks while walking around in the woods. Tickborne illnesses, including Lyme Disease, are on the rise across the U.S.
特文还解释了南方常见的鹿和其他猎物的迁徙模式如何改变，也增加了我们患媒介传播疾病的风险. “携带疾病的昆虫不定期地出现在动物周围. When they sting an animal that we eat, especially around hunting season, 那些动物是昆虫传染疾病的携带者,” he says. “When we eat then eat those animals, 我们正把自己置于感染这些疾病的更大风险之中.”
为什么我们现在才注意到公共健康和气候变化之间的联系?
科学界和医学界关于这两个主题之间的联系的研究和讨论实际上已经进行了十多年. “Because the public has spent more time indoors, especially during the pandemic, 由于隔离，我们被迫呆在手机和电视前,” Tevin says. “Now, we’re hearing more about these connections in real time. 由于我们在大流行期间的经历，人们开始提出更多的问题.”
As more people have become aware of this connection, 越来越明显的是，每个人都必须意识到这种联系，并采取措施改善我们的气候，以改善公共健康. For health care professionals on the front lines, 重要的是，我们将这些因素与健康的其他社会决定因素结合起来，并学会在就诊期间向患者提出正确的问题.
Widespread change starts at the policy level.
“我看到联邦政策在应对气候变化方面发生了一些变化，”特文说. “我们更多地依赖于科学和每天处理这些相关性的医疗专业人员.”
President Biden recently announced a new initiative called the American Climate Corps to train a group of 20,000名美国年轻人拥有保护环境的高需求技能. 这项倡议是朝着减少美国温室气体排放和寻找其他可用于能源的资源迈出的一大步.
Globally, 196 parties adopted the 2016 Paris Agreement, 其目标是“将全球平均温度提高到远低于工业化前水平2°C”，以及“将温度上升限制在1°C以内”.5°C above pre-industrial levels.“要实现这一目标，到2030年全球温室气体排放量必须减少43%. “We have to make changes relatively quickly,” Tevin says. “这就是为什么我们必须在政策层面实施变革.”
Climate change affects public health. 当我们更多地了解我们的环境如何塑造我们病人的健康结果, 重要的是，我们每个人都应该采取措施，提高环保意识. The solution is multifaceted. There is no one-size-fits-all answer to climate change. However, 如果我们继续提高认识，并跟随我们国家和全球领导人的领导，减少对我们星球的有害行为, 我们将使地球成为一个更美好的居住地，同时提高生活在这里的80多亿人的健康水平.
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