Preventing “climate-illness epidemic” should be a priority, UB expert says

BUFFALO, N.Y. — Today’s declaration by dozens of experts representing the nation’s leading medical groups that climate change is a “public health emergency” is a necessary step to help thwart a health epidemic that’s as devastating as the opioid crisis, said University at Buffalo expert David Holmes.

Holmes, MD, who was not among the 74 health professionals who made the declaration, is director of the Global Medicine Program in the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at UB, where he is also clinical associate professor of family medicine.

“There are lots of reasons we need to protect the environment, but one of the biggest is preserving our health and preventing a climate-illness epidemic,” Holmes said. “Compared to the opioid epidemic, the climate-illness epidemic may be more subtle, but it is just as devastating and preventable. If we don’t curb climate change and protect the environment, climate-illnesses, injuries and fatalities will continue to rise.”

Holmes pointed out numerous ways in which the environment impacts human health: 

• Disasters such as tornados, earthquakes and wildfires can cause injury and death. They can also disrupt water supplies and predispose communities, especially those in low-resource countries, to diseases like cholera.
• Increasing temperatures can cause dehydration, heat stroke and death.
• Heat can also lead to an increase in the mosquito population, which can cause rises in deadly diseases such as malaria, Zika and dengue.
• Ample sources of good-quality water are vital to human health and survival. Climate change affects famines and the quantity of water. It may also affect the quality of water. A lack of water can have a range of devastating effects on humans, crops and animals.
• Climate change is exacerbating human hunger. If it isn’t already, climate change will likely soon be the No. 1 cause of hunger, poor health and premature death worldwide.

Holmes, who travels abroad frequently for his research, said air pollution, particularly in places like Kathmandu and Beijing, is a significant problem.

“It’s very easy to get respiratory infections when traveling to or living in cities and other locations with air pollution,” he said.

“Weather reports in some cities include a ‘smog index’ to help people decide if or when they should go outside. Air pollution has become such a problem that many people in some cities routinely wear masks when they go outside. It’s become so common that now people can buy masks of various styles and patterns. It’s sad that there’s such a big demand for these masks, that there’s now a growing fashion mask industry.”

The U.S. and many other countries have made great strides over the last 100 years in public health and preventive medicine, Holmes notes.

But, he added, “It’s time we did the same with climate illness, which may otherwise become one of the biggest public health problems in history. Just like living in unsanitary conditions increases the risk of disease and is a public health problem, so is living in an unhealthy environment. It increases the risk of disease, injuries and death. Climate change is a public health problem that needs effective treatment and prevention.”

Holmes can be contacted for interview requests at dholmes@buffalo.edu.