Background
Scientists around the world agree that global climate change is occurring and happening faster than originally anticipated (Schwartz, Parker, Glass, & Hu, 2006). Scientists began recording the earth’s surface temperature in 1850. 1995 to 2006 are the warmest years on record (IPCC, 2007). Over the past 100 years, the earth’s temperature has risen by approximately one degree Fahrenheit, which is a rate twice as fast than any other period in the last 1,000 years (Afzal, 2007).
The warming of the earth has caused the arctic ice cap to shrink; glaciers in Montana, Greenland, Tanzania, Spain, and the European Alps are melting; and the arctic permafrost is thawing (Afzal, 2007).
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC, 2007) concluded that the warming of the earth can be attributed to human activities. The rise of greenhouse gases is a widely accepted cause of climate change, and has been linked to human behavior. Greenhouse gases have increased by 70% between 1970 and 2004 (IPCC, 2007). Contributing factors that have been identified include increased burning of fossil fuels from cars and power plants, deforestation and desertification (Schwartz, Parker, Glass, & Hu, 2006). According to Schwartz and his colleagues (2006), the United States makes up 5% of the world population, and produces 25% of the global emissions contributing to climate change.
Health care professionals now recognize that there is a direct connection between climate change and human health. The World Health Organization (WHO) concluded that the effects of the climate change that has occurred since the mid-1970s may have caused over 150,000 deaths in 2000. They have also concluded that these impacts are likely to increase in the future. While the specific outcomes of climate change are uncertain, the health of the public must be protected (Frumkin, et al., 2008). Nurses and other health professionals are well positioned to play a role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, encouraging conservation and sustainable practices and addressing the effects of climate change. Whether it is through research, policy change or personal action, health professionals are trusted members of society and can compel positive action.
