Role of health care professionals in raising clinician and public awareness around global climate change: Importance of individual behaviors

To avert catastrophic climate change, defined by Hansen as climate change that could result in extinction of 50% of plant and animal species, displacement of large human populations due to sea level rise, and regional climate change that could have significant impacts on food production and water cycles, many climatologists believe that steps must be taken within the next ten years to stabilize atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations at 450 ppm for the next 50 years, then rapidly decrease carbon emissions to achieve a zero emission economy after that. Thus, huge changes in the way we live are necessary. The United States, with 5% of the world's population, produces 25% of the annual carbon emissions; its current wealth and influence are directly related to its early industrialization and use of fossil fuels; and it has invested trillions of dollars in a model of land use termed “suburban sprawl,” with complete reliance on automobiles. While we are waiting for the U.S. to take the lead and for political will to develop to implement the necessary policies, individual actions would help to provide the grassroots impetus to policy makers. Health care professionals are especially well positioned to assist in this behavior change, using individual ecologic footprints; to explain the impact behavior change will have on decreasing carbon emissions; and to articulate and credibly explain the likely medical and public health impacts associated with climate change. This presentation will also include a brief description of the consensus modeling and health-related impact projections.