CLIMATE CHANGE
Evaluate a significant environmental change occurring in your region (wildfires, higher-than average temperatures,
droughts, floods, etc.). Create a 10-15 slide PowerPoint presentation explaining how natural disasters are influenced by
climate change. Include comprehensive speaker notes for each slide. Include the following:
Describe the natural disaster. Discuss how climate change has contributed to the natural disaster that is causing the
environmental change. Discuss the potential anthropogenic and natural causes. Provide evidence to support your claims.
Describe the human population health issues likely to be exacerbated by the environmental change. Identify one or more
surveillance reports, and discuss data from these sources, relevant to the event and region. Discuss the methods used in
data collection. Use a table or graph to display your findings.
Explain the impact is climate change projected to have on animal and ecosystem health in your region.
Discuss how your region’s environmental policy, or lack of policy, has influenced and shaped the response to the
environmental change.
Explain how local and regional environmental policies have a global impact when it comes to climate change.
Explain how the people in your region, including community members and leaders, perceive the concept of climate change.
How do their opinions regarding climate change affect the environmental policy in your region? Describe some of the
challenges to addressing climate change in your region.
You are required to cite to three to five sources to complete this assignment. Sources must be published within the last 5
years and appropriate for the assignment criteria and public health content.
Refer to the resource, “Creating Effective PowerPoint Presentations,” located in the Student Success Center, for additional
guidance on completing this assignment in the appropriate style.
While APA style is not required for the body of this assignment, solid academic writing is expected, and documentation of
sources should be presented using APA formatting guidelines, which can be found in the APA Style Guide, located in the
Student Success Center.
This assignment uses a rubric. Please review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the
expectations for successful completion.
NATURAL DISASTER
Climatic change is the key factor that escalates the risk and
subsequent spread of bush fires in California Australia, the
United States, Greece, Portugal, and Spain and other parts of
the world.
At the beginning of 2020, Australia has experienced the worst
ever bush fire disasters.
The fire has burnt over 10 million hectares and killed at least
28 people, razed entire neighborhoods to the ground,
consumed houses of thousands of families and left millions of
people affected by the hazardous smoke haze.
IMPACT OF CLIMATIC CHANGE TO THE
NATURAL DISASTER
Land use and forest management impact
significantly to the peril of the bush fires.
Drier environmental conditions aid the mountain
pine beetle alongside other disastrous insects to
spread and multiply and they weaken and kill trees
thus building up the fuels in the forest.
Wildfires peril is based on several factors including
soil moisture, temperature, and presence of shrubs
and trees alongside other potential fuel(Towers,
Christianson, & Eriksen, 2019).
POTENTIAL ANTHROPOGENIC AND NATURAL
CAUSES
Approximately 85% of the bush fires are caused by human
activity or what is referred to as anthropogenic causes(Yu et
al, 2020).
Human contributes to the wildfires from ;
Campfires left unattended
The burning of debris
Equipment use and malfunctions
Negligently discarded cigarettes
Intentional Acts Of Arson
The natural causes of wildfire include lightning, increased
temperatures and spontaneous combustion of dry fuel such as
leaves and sawdust.
EVIDENCE OF THE CLAIMS
Wildfire Frequency in the United States, 1983–2015
HUMAN POPULATION HEALTH ISSUES LIKELY
TO BE EXACERBATED BY THE
ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE
According to Towers (2019), respiratory morbidities
predominate in the occurrence of the wild fires.
The climatic change severely affects the general health of the
human beings. It affects environmental and social
determinants of health such as clean air, safe drinking water,
sufficient food and secure shelter.
Extreme rainfall such as El-nino due to climatic change result
to floods which in turn increases exposure to waterborne
infections(diarrhea, cholera , malaria) due to frequent contact
with drinking water, recreational water and food.
SURVEILLANCE REPORTS
The natural resources defense council (NRDC) issues brief in
matters relating to the environment. In a surveillance report
dubbed “CLIMATE CHANGE AND HEALTH IN CALIFORNIA”
dated February 2020, undertakes investigations on the effects
of climatic change on the health of the human beings
(Constible,2020).
The data is obtained using surveys , questionnaires and
observation.
Hence , this report is instrumental in the formulation of the
environment policies to mitigate on adverse effects of the
climatic change. Additionally, the report enhances
Understanding How Global Warming Could Impact Public
Health in California.
METHODS USED IN DATA COLLECTION
The data is collected using household questionnaire survey
and observation.
Heat related morbidity in California
IMPACT IS CLIMATE CHANGE
Wild animals and human beings increasingly face new
challenges for survival due to climate changes.
Intense drought and more frequent heat waves, storms, rising
sea levels, warming oceans and melting glaciers direct harm
animals by destroying their inhabitants and wreaking havoc on
communities and individual’s livelihoods.
California, in particular, is devastated by unprecedented
climatic changes. According to Sharples(2016), Climatic
change is already contributing to deforestation, ocean
acidification, increased air pollution, droughts, more wildfires,
heat waves, and sea-level rise which threaten human health
and the entire future of the ecosystem.
REGION’S ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY, OR LACK
OF POLICY, HAS INFLUENCED AND SHAPED
THE RESPONSE TO THE ENVIRONMENTAL
CHANGE
The environmental protection agency in the United States has
affected policy on reducing the carbon footprint in the region.
This approach is meant to minimize the effects of the climatic
change on the environment.
California enacted a global warming solutions act of
2006(AB32) that limits the emission of greenhouse gas
emissions and it, therefore, confirms California’s willingness
and commitment to move into a more sustainable, clean
energy economy.
The enactment of the aforementioned act has yielded
impressive outcomes as more people and industries are
implementing policies to curb climatic change effects.
HOW LOCAL AND REGIONAL
ENVIRONMENTAL POLICIES HAVE A GLOBAL
IMPACT WHEN IT COMES TO CLIMATE
CHANGE
Water, air, climate, and weather are all components of the
earth that are interconnected.
Global human activities that incorporate the use of natural
resources or produces waste are interlinked with
enhancements in transport and communication.
According to Allyssa(2019), Local policies demonstrate shared
global environmental concerns since no country is immune to
climatic change. Global environmental policies cannot
successfully work without agreed policies at local or national.
HOW DO THEIR OPINIONS REGARDING
CLIMATE CHANGE AFFECT THE
ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY IN YOUR REGION?
Since their opinion shows support to the
implementation of the local and regional
environmental policies, I think it would be easier for
the government and members of the public to
support the implementation of the same.
People and industries will reduce the emission of
greenhouse gases by adopting renewable sources
of energy as well as purchasing cars that do not
emit carbon dioxide gases. As such successful
implementation of a particular environmental policy
needs unwavering public support and commitment.
CHALLENGES TO ADDRESSING CLIMATE
CHANGE IN YOUR REGION
One of the significant challenges of addressing
climate change is a significant time lag in
implementing the policies. Sometimes the policies
are made and rolled out but they take a lot of time
before they are implemented(Liu, et al., 2017).
Despite commitments to the objective of preserving
and enhancing environmental quality and passing of
laws and regulations to achieve the means,
California is still faced with the problem of the
competing demands of greater urban development
and conserving the environment.
REFERENCES
Yu, P., Xu, R., Abramson, M. J., Li, S., & Guo, Y. (2020).
Bushfires in Australia: a serious health emergency under
climate change. The Lancet Planetary Health.
Sharples, J. J., Cary, G. J., Fox-Hughes, P., Mooney, S.,
Evans, J. P., Fletcher, M. S., … & Baker, P. (2016). Natural
hazards in Australia: extreme bushfire. Climatic
Change, 139(1), 85-99.
Liu, Y., Strickland, M., Fu, J. S., Geng, G., Chang, H. H., & Liu,
Y. (2017, December). Current and Future Impacts of Wildfires
on PM2. 5 and Public Health in Colorado. In AGU Fall Meeting
Abstracts.
CONT’D
Towers, B., Christianson, A., & Eriksen, C. (2019). Impacts of
Wildfire on Children.
Walker, C. (2016, April). Tasmanian bushfires a climate wake
up call. In CLIMATE CAMPAIGNING AFTER THE UN COP21
CONFERENCE (p. 48).
Alyssa DykmanAlyssa Dykman, Alvar Escriva-Bou(September
23, 2019)(SEPTEMBER 23, 2019) ‘Californians Support
Actions to Address Climate Change’ Public Policy Institute Of
California.