Evaluate a significant environmental change occurring in your region (wildfires, higher-than average temperatures, droughts, floods, etc.). Create a 10-15 slide PowerPoint presentation explaining how natural disasters are influenced by climate change. Include comprehensive speaker notes for each slide. Include the following:
- Describe the natural disaster. Discuss how climate change has contributed to the natural disaster that is causing the environmental change. Discuss the potential anthropogenic and natural causes. Provide evidence to support your claims.
- Describe the human population health issues likely to be exacerbated by the environmental change. Identify one or more surveillance reports, and discuss data from these sources, relevant to the event and region. Discuss the methods used in data collection. Use a table or graph to display your findings.
- Explain the impact is climate change projected to have on animal and ecosystem health in your region.
- Discuss how your region’s environmental policy, or lack of policy, has influenced and shaped the response to the environmental change.
- Explain how local and regional environmental policies have a global impact when it comes to climate change.
- Explain how the people in your region, including community members and leaders, perceive the concept of climate change. How do their opinions regarding climate change affect the environmental policy in your region? Describe some of the challenges to addressing climate change in your region.
You are required to cite to three to five sources to complete this assignment. Sources must be published within the last 5 years and appropriate for the assignment criteria and public health content. Please cite any and all references used.
Expert Solution Preview
Introduction:
The impact of climate change on natural disasters is a critical area of study for medical college students. As a medical professor, this assignment aims to help students understand how natural disasters are influenced by climate change and their potential impacts on human health as well as animal and ecosystem health in a specific region.
Answer:
The region under consideration is Southern California, which has experienced frequent wildfires in recent years. Climate change has been identified as one of the leading contributors to the wildfires in the region. The increase in temperature, droughts, and invasive species have created favorable conditions for wildfires to occur.
Anthropogenic factors such as the increase in greenhouse gas emissions, land-use changes, and deforestation have also contributed to climate change, which subsequently increases the frequency and intensity of wildfires. A study published in the International Journal of Wildland Fire in 2019 showed that there is a close correlation between climate change and the incidence of wildfires in Southern California.
Wildfires in Southern California have potential impacts on human health, particularly for people with respiratory problems, such as asthma. According to a report by the California Health Care Foundation, air pollution from wildfires can cause respiratory diseases and cardiovascular problems for vulnerable populations such as elderly people, children, and pregnant women. Data from the California Environmental Protection Agency showed that air pollution levels increase significantly during wildfires.
Climate change may also affect the health of animals and ecosystems in Southern California. For example, high temperatures and droughts may kill off plants that provide habitat for animals, leading to the decline of some species.
The environmental policy in Southern California has not been sufficient to mitigate the effects of climate change on wildfires. The state has not invested enough in preventive measures, such as controlled burns, to reduce the risk of wildfires. Additionally, the lack of coordinated policies between different jurisdictions has made it difficult to mitigate wildfires’ impacts.
Despite the challenges, Southern California has implemented some regional environmental policies, such as increasing renewable energy and developing clean transportation. These policies have a global impact by reducing greenhouse gas emissions. However, perceptions of climate change among Southern Californians vary significantly, with some people denying its existence. This affects the environmental policy in the region, making it difficult to implement effective measures to mitigate wildfires’ impacts.
