Well, the topic for today is the second chapter of Bill McKibben's
Eaarth, and what issues that were raised concern us. Am I allowed to answer all of them? Seriously, what doesn't McKibben touch on here? Economic instability, major flooding leading to displaced peoples, increased spread of disease, resource wars, crumbling infrastructure, it all concerns me.
I think what I'd like to write about today is epidemiology, or the study of disease, its spread, and also its control. As McKibben mentioned, there's a stark contrast between disease in the global North and disease in the global South. Lower-income countries typically have more deaths in children, as well as more deaths from infectious disease, like malaria or dengue fever, rather than chronic disease, like heart disease. Read more about the differences
here. Additionally, the amount of people who die of respiratory infections is significantly higher in low-income countries than in higher-income countries, which can be directly connected to the issue of proper heating and cooling, made even worse by the extreme fluctuations in temperature caused by global climate change.
It's things like this that really make you take a step back and think about how things got this way. In terms of the environment, the more sea levels rise and the more frequent flash floods and other disasters become, the more difficult it is for already poor countries to recover from these issues. This means these countries have less money and resources to spend on healthcare, and access to clean water, both of which affect the spread of disease significantly. Add to this the increase in vector animals like mosquitos because of rising global temperatures, and you've got yourself a perfect storm of crap.
Simply put, I'm concerned, as McKibben is, that these issues will just continue to pile on top of one another until we collapse under the pressure. It's a bleak picture, but one I think we all need to realize and accept if anything's ever going to get better.
Well that was depressing. Here's hoping a more positive chapter is on the way.
Write to you soon!
Danielle K.
I'm also a bit depressed after chapter 2. And I'm overwhelmed by how much all these problems are intertwined, good point about how the rising sea levels effect low income countries.
ReplyDeleteThanks Audrey, I'm glad someone else sees my point of view.
DeleteI know chapters 1 and 2 are depressing, but I think it's important to see the vastness and complexity of the problems and what's at stake. Stay tuned for chapter 3 for some small steps of what to do.
ReplyDeleteAlso, thanks for the graph, Danielle...very interesting!
I like your take on this and I also feel very hopeless. The fact that we must consider, as our only option, a "graceful decline" is very depressing but still true. I appreciate his starkness because he gives it to us straight so if there is anything we can do, we can do it as soon as possible.
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