Hello! I am Jenny, a third year Geographer. Welcome to my blog!
Ever since being a part of the Medsin society at UCL, I’ve had a huge interest in looking at global health. I've subsequently been involved in climate marches, and whenever we attended them as a health bloc, I realized that there were no geographers at all apart from me. Whenever I tried to peak Geographers' interests in global health, I've been told that it's 'not too relevant to Geography'.
In GEOG3057, part of our assessment is looking at global environmental change. I have decided to write about the topic of environmental change and human health (as well as the numerous aspects of health), in hopes to make it clearer how health and climate interlink. While exploring the links between the two, I hope to also learn about what is being done to mitigate climatic impacts on society, and the challenges that arise in its mitigation.
Ever since being a part of the Medsin society at UCL, I’ve had a huge interest in looking at global health. I've subsequently been involved in climate marches, and whenever we attended them as a health bloc, I realized that there were no geographers at all apart from me. Whenever I tried to peak Geographers' interests in global health, I've been told that it's 'not too relevant to Geography'.
In GEOG3057, part of our assessment is looking at global environmental change. I have decided to write about the topic of environmental change and human health (as well as the numerous aspects of health), in hopes to make it clearer how health and climate interlink. While exploring the links between the two, I hope to also learn about what is being done to mitigate climatic impacts on society, and the challenges that arise in its mitigation.
The relationship between the environment and human health is
one that is increasingly being established. Furthermore, from increasing
climate research and its associated health effects, a relationship between climate
and health has become less esoteric, and has become a source of concern. It has
been stated that climate change is the ‘biggest global health threat’ in the 21st
century (Source) .
But before we dive into this, what do I know so far about climate and health? I know that climatic changes will make our livelihoods more difficult to sustain because of changing temperature zones and that there will be changing disease vectors such as Malaria, but I admit I am not the most knowledgeable in this subject. I feel slightly pessimistic about how we will be mitigating the effects of climate change on our health, namely because I feel that there is so much uncertainty about the changes to come. When we are so unsure about the timeframe of when climate change will really affect us, how can we mitigate its impacts? How can we ensure that everyone will be safe from the health consequences, especially when there is so much inequality within the world already? Who's responsible in ensuring our health in the future? I have no guarantee that I will have the answers by the end of this module, but I do hope I feel more optimistic.
But before we dive into this, what do I know so far about climate and health? I know that climatic changes will make our livelihoods more difficult to sustain because of changing temperature zones and that there will be changing disease vectors such as Malaria, but I admit I am not the most knowledgeable in this subject. I feel slightly pessimistic about how we will be mitigating the effects of climate change on our health, namely because I feel that there is so much uncertainty about the changes to come. When we are so unsure about the timeframe of when climate change will really affect us, how can we mitigate its impacts? How can we ensure that everyone will be safe from the health consequences, especially when there is so much inequality within the world already? Who's responsible in ensuring our health in the future? I have no guarantee that I will have the answers by the end of this module, but I do hope I feel more optimistic.
No comments:
Post a Comment