Our opportunity to prevent the worst health effects from climate change is closing fast. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) recently released a landmark report emphasizing the immediate importance of taking decisive climate action. We must reduce greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2030 and make no additional contributions to the atmosphere by the 2050s. Failing to take action will worsen the health of our families and communities for generations.
Children have made miniscule contributions to climate change, yet they will bear the greatest brunt of its effects. Compared to a person born in 1960, a person born in 2020 will experience four times as many heat waves in their lifetime, and the World Health Organization estimates climate change will lead to a minimum of 250,000 additional deaths annually. Those deaths won’t just result from wildfires and extreme weather events, but also from worsening rates of asthma, allergies and infectious diseases. More adolescents and young adults will also suffer from anxiety, depression and other mental health disorders as they try to survive in an increasingly dangerous world.
As a Bronx pediatrician, I know that the best way to keep children healthy is through disease prevention. The best way to protect children from the health effects of climate change is to prevent the worst scenario from ever taking place. As a society, we can make that choice. It is easy to feel powerless or overwhelmed when considering how to personally respond to climate change, but civic engagement is one of the most effective ways to make a difference.
All communities must respond to climate change, and engaged citizens are experts in making informed decisions about what is the best for their neighborhoods. This is especially true for the Bronx, which has a significant history of environmental racism. Our families must be included in the conversations about how we build more resilient communities to face an uncertain future.
In 2019, the New York State Legislature made history by passing the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA). This legislation set legally binding requirements for New York to have 100% renewable electricity by 2040 and requires at least 40% of funding go to underserved communities who are the least equipped to respond to and adapt their lives to climate change. Despite this language, the CLCPA requirements have not been fully funded, and we risk missing a critical window to ensure the health of children and future generations.
How do we get to a more sustainable future? We must rapidly electrify our existing energy infrastructure and build more sustainable ways of living. Gov. Hochul has recently announced a Cap and Invest Program to begin funding our climate commitments. The state Legislature is currently considering the All Electric Building Act, which would require all new single-family and low-rise buildings to be emissions-free by 2024, and all new remaining construction by 2027. They are also considering a series of bills known as the Climate, Jobs, and Justice Package that will reduce emissions and fully fund the CLCPA. Despite the essential nature of these bills, their passage and implementation remain uncertain during this budget cycle and legislative session.
While we should applaud the steps our government has already taken to ensure a healthier and more sustainable future, we cannot become complacent. We must meet our commitments to build the future we want, and the time to do so is now. The Bronx has a strong history of community activism, and we must now advocate with our state legislators to confirm their support for funding our historic climate act in this year’s state budget to ensure a healthy future for our children and communities.
Dr. Charles Moon is a pediatrician who lives in Norwood and practices at the Children’s Hospital at Montefiore.
For more coverage, follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @bronxtimes
