Global climate change will devastate not only the environment, but the health and well-being of societies across the world, argued Columbia professor Kim Knowlton in her Wednesday lecture, "Climate Change: The Public Health Implications."
Knowlton suggested at the Wilder Hall event that climate change's impact on public health is real, yet overlooked. She addressed the notion of "climate health," the sensitive relationship between climate change and global health.
In proving her point, Knowlton cited a recent World Health Organization estimate that global warming contributed to 150,000 deaths and 5 million cases of illness per year, and that by 2030, those figures would likely double. The year 2005 ranks as the warmest year since average annual temperatures began to be recorded, and 2006 ranks as the fifth warmest year on record.
Some researchers predict that Bangladesh, a country particularly susceptible to flooding due to heavy rainfall, would lose 17 percent of its land area with sea levels rising one meter, potentially displacing tens of millions of people.
Knowlton, however, acknowledged that not all countries will experience negative repercussions from global warming.
"There will be some winners and some losers that may benefit and may suffer by climate changes," she said.
While the United States may endure a lower human and environmental toll than equatorial regions, it is still affected by climate change. Knowlton adduced research that predicts New Hampshire's climate will be more like North Carolina's by the late 21st century under a high-emissions scenario.
She emphasized that individuals can work to stabilize climate and reduce the likelihood of future devastation.
Global warming, which is caused by the emission of greenhouse gases from automobiles and various commercial processes can be mitigated, Knowlton said. She called for finding ways to help the human population adapt to a changing climate, yet also affirmed her belief that global warming can be steadied.
"This is not a doom and gloom story," Knowlton said. "Research is being done that's beginning to take a serious lead to how we proceed in the future."
In his introduction to Knowlton's speech, Denis Rydjeski, political chairman of the Vermont chapter of the Sierra Club and vice chair of the Upper Valley chapter, said that the group is currently working on projects that will help reduce greenhouse gases including advocating of the Kyoto standards.
"Hanover has signed on to this plan and we are working with them to come up with a concrete plan to do this," he said.
Rydjeski also said that education is essential to accomplish their goal of lowering greenhouse gases.
"Public education is a very important part," he said. "We think this lecture series is working with that. We are inviting teachers so they may educate the next generation."
Knowlton is a postdoctoral research scientist at the Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, in the Department of Environmental Health Services, and a 2006-2007 Mellon Foundation Teaching Fellow in the Department of Environmental Sciences at Barnard College.
The lecture was co-sponsored by the earth sciences department, the geography department, the biology department, and many other national and student organizations in the area.
