Editor’s note: This commentary is by Paul D. Manganiello, MD, MPH, of Norwich, an emeritus professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth College.
On Sept. 20 the Global Youth Climate Strike occurred followed by the weeklong United Nations Climate Change Summit. All of these events are highlighting the urgent need for action on both a personal as well as a societal level. Both are necessary if we are going to be able to address the existential threat that global warming presents. The time has past for individuals to stop questioning the role of humans in the warming of the planet, to simply paraphrase … “that train has left the station,” and we all had better be on it!
As with all complex systems, global warming is multifaceted. It is caused by multiple factors, and will take different interventions to reverse it. We can’t look to one solution to address the problem, but all the “little” steps will be cumulative. We also needed to look at the big picture to make sure that what we are doing to remediate the problem will not cause unintentional consequences, harms.
Let’s not have any doubts, global warming, climate change, whatever you want to call it, is a public health crisis; and one way of addressing global warming is through a public health approach.
First of all, we already know what the problem is, the excess accumulation of greenhouse gases. Second, we already know what the causes are, the production and overconsumption of fossil fuels. Third, we already know and have strategies that we can implement, which have been evaluated and have been shown to be effective: conserve energy; improve energy efficiency; construct energy efficient building; transition to green energy technology; etc. Finally, we now need to develop effective policies and programs such as requiring better gas mileage for our cars and trucks; adopt tax policies that don’t subsidize the fossil fuel industry; reforestation; etc.
As I said previously, we all have our part to play, we can’t expect our government to do it all, and neither should the government be “missing in action,” as we have seen the past three years in the current Washington administration’s approach to the problem.
I would like to highlight one component of the issue of global warming, deforestation, which would benefit from both individual action, as well as local and federal policies. It is important that we look at ways of not only reducing carbon emissions but also look at ways for carbon sequestration (carbon capture). There are millions of acres, which would benefit from reforestation, the planting of appropriate tree species, plants and grasses in suitable regional habitats. Reforestation would not only exchange carbon from the atmosphere for oxygen, but would improve water quality and conserve wildlife species.
Mistakes have been made in the past, and we need to make sure that they are not repeated. When done improperly, reforestation with the wrong trees or plant species can be catastrophic. The Canadian government in the 1980s planted spruce trees in Alberta peat bogs. This was done with the aim of increasing timber harvests. The trees grew but dried out the bogs. Bogs also have a role to play in carbon sequestration. The result was the massive 2016 Fort McMurray Fire, which burned 1.5 million acres.
In our country, the planting of pine monocultures in the American West has turned out to be the perfect fuel for wildfires. Monoculture planting can also result in the destruction of millions of acres due to insect infestations. More importantly, we need to assure that we protect and appropriately manage the forests, bogs and prairies we currently have.
As I drive up and down our interstate highways I wonder why we need to continue to mow huge swaths of land in the median of the highways as well as the sides of the driving lanes. Some of these areas are even on steep slopes. Diverting money earmarked for mowing to planting regionally appropriate trees, plants and grasses which are efficient in carbon capture would reduce the use of fossil fuels as well as promote the removal of carbon from our atmosphere. I’m not sure all that mowing really improves safety, and for the health of our environment, mowing should be used selectively. This should also apply to local and state highways.
We all need to consciously evaluate our lifestyle choices and critically evaluate their possible outcomes. One suggestion for reducing some of our our own “carbon footprint” is to join the Arbor Day Foundation [arborday.org] and support their new initiative “Time for Trees” (they will send you 10 trees for planting!). Their goal is to plant 100 million trees by 2022, the 150th anniversary of Arbor Day. We also need to contact our public officials, to encourage them to also, where possible, “reforest” our current and future urban landscapes, and to act courageously on this challenging issue confronting the health of our planet and all that it supports.
