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As politicians around the globe launch committees to monitor the ongoing economic crisis, some environmental experts are charging that not enough is being done to resolve another equally important issue: climate change and its effect on human health.
At least that was the opinion shared among environmental researchers and college professors during the “Symposium on Climate Change and Health: Making the Connection,” held at Stony Brook Southampton campus on Friday. A panel of nine gathered to discuss that topic with the community and discuss what needs to be done to turn the tide of ecological destruction worldwide.
The event was hosted by Mary Pearl, Stony Brook Southampton’s dean and vice president of administration, and facilitated by Dr. Nay Htun, a former United Nations environmental official and current Stony Brook Southampton professor. An estimated 70 people attended the event.
Dr. Pearl, who took over the reins in her dual administrative and academic role at Stony Brook Southampton in March, explained that the effects of global warming on the health of humans can be observed, literally, in the backyards of homes on Long Island.
She pointed to the recent appearance of the West Nile virus, a disease that is primarily transmitted through mosquitoes. When the temperature rises and there are fewer birds in the area, which the mosquitoes prefer to bite, the disease is more apt to spread among humans.
“Don’t think that climate and health are something happening somewhere else,” Dr. Pearl said.
Dr. Pearl said during the forum that the relationship between climate and the living environment is something that influences people all over the world, yet has been given very little attention in recent years. “When it comes to climate and the wildlife, we’re falling down on the job,” she said.
Dr. Pai-Yei Whung, the chief scientist with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, said during her presentation that the forum was timely because the EPA just released findings earlier this month identifying six greenhouse gases that can harm humans. She explained how legislation promoting cleaner forms of energy could benefit the environment, and noted that government regulation on carbon emissions is a major step needed to control the emission of harmful gases.
“Policy can certainly enable actions for solution,” Dr. Whung said.
There was a consensus among presenters and audience members that people must closely examine the human impact on the environment and what lifestyle changes have to be made in order to stem the effects of global warming.
“We’re dealing with consequences rather than causes,” said audience member Ali Basaran, formerly of the United Nations’ World Health Organization.
Dr. Htun stressed the importance of environmental surveillance before action could be taken. He explained that not enough research has gone into global dimming, a reduction in the amount of sunlight that reaches the Earth’s surface that can dictate how much rain falls in a particular region.
“We must develop better and better diagnostic tools,” he said.
Stony Brook Southampton professor James Quigley noted how, for many years, special interest groups tried to deny the existence of global warming, preventing action from being taken sooner. “They could slow down and misinform the public,” he said.
In his closing remarks, Dr. Htun said the dialogue has shifted in recent years from whether or not global warming exists, to how bad the damage is and what can be done to stop it from escalating even further. “The question is not whether or not we believe there is climate change,” he said. “The question is to what extent are human beings the cause.”
Dr. David Rogers, president of the Health and Climate Foundation in Washington, D.C., Dr. Abere Mihretie, director of the Ethiopian Anti-Malaria Association, and Dr. Madeleine Thomson, chair of the Africa Program Committee, International Research Institute for Climate and Society at Columbia University also served as panelists. Additionally, Stony Brook Southampton professors Dr. Alan Rice and Dr. Michael Sperazza were on hand to respond to the panelists.
Dr. Pearl said she hopes that the college can host similar forums in the future to shed additional light on important issues like the ones discussed on Friday. “I thought it was an excellent example of how the college can bring outstanding experts to the community,” she said on Tuesday.
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