Five on Friday: The Toll of Climate Change on Public Health

No climate activist enjoys IPCC report-release days. The reports are always stark. The International Panel on Climate Change, the group tasked by the UN to assess climate change progression, has this time declared in its newest report that the entire human race must immediately and rapidly reduce greenhouse gas emissions on the largest scale possible, in order to prevent the "worst case” climate change scenario. We’re already locked into more extreme weather, some of which we’re already experiencing, but things could get worse unless drastic action is taken. (Some of the IPCC website, including the new report and many of its previous reports, is available in Spanish and other languages.) Of course, we at MCN know that the climate crisis does not equally spread its burden. Those whose health is already challenged by negative social determinants of health – like migration – will be hit the hardest.  For this week's Five on Friday, we share five climate-centered pieces that were shared among MCN staff this week.

Amy shared a PBS NewsHour piece focused on our ill-equipped systems to track heat deaths. As heat waves become more frequent, more severe, and longer in duration, new protocols and standards need to be in place to protect vulnerable workers like agricultural workers. We Don’t Know Exactly How Many People are Dying from Heat — Here’s Why

Claire followed up with another PBS NewsHour segment – this time focused on how fires and smoke are affecting indigenous Mexican farmworkers in California’s wine country: Worsening Wildfires in California's Wine Country Threaten Low-Wage Farm Workers

Amy noted that MCN has been advocating for a federal standard to protect workers from heat, when forwarding on this article from Daily Kos. 'At a Pressure Point': Democrats Urge Biden Admin to Create Federal Heat Standard to Protect Workers

And it’s not just heat. Kaethe sent along a Washington Post op-ed that reminds us that public health efforts overall will need to anticipate the increase in death and disease burdens resulting from the climate crisis. We Must Consider the Profound Toll of Climate Change on Public Health

Weekly Win: Wait, is there a win with the climate crisis? Well, solutions are everywhere. Claire recommends Project Drawdown’s Climate Solutions 101, a six-video series on Project Drawdown’s extensive and rigorously researched solutions breakdown. And don’t forget to take care of yourself! Here are Ten Tips for Self Care for climate activists, from Climate for Health. 

Have a safe and healthy weekend!

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The Guardian ran an article chronicling Latinx dairy workers in Wisconsin, entitled, “‘It’s Five Years Since a White Person Applied’: the Immigrant Workforce Milking America’s Cows.”