Poor air quality from wildfires. A heavy-hitting allergy season. And an uptick in ticks. These are just a few of the increasingly common, health impacts of climate change we’re now seeing in Michigan.
But climate change has only recently been considered from a healthcare perspective.
Doctor Elizabeth (Lisa) Del Buono is a retired diagnostic pathologist and founded the Michigan Clinicians for Climate Action. The group advocates for mitigating and preventing the impacts of climate change, with a focus on health impacts.
Teresa Homsi recently spoke with Del Buono about the role of clinicians in addressing climate change. Below is a transcript snippet of their conversation.
Del Buono: In 2017, our parent group started- the Medical Society Consortium on Climate and Health.
And why that was so important, it legitimized the discussion of climate change within the medical arena. Part of that is that clinicians are busy, they have people presenting to them with a real sense of urgency, they’re just overwhelmed. I don't mean to be pejorative, but it was very helpful that the consortium started because then it gave us that framework. It allowed us to start talking about that intersection of health, climate and equity.
The biggest aha moment for me was [realizing] that the most common health impact - probably anywhere of climate change is that it takes preexisting conditions and exacerbates them.
Homsi: I mean, we've known about climate change for... The earliest estimate is like 1896. And really in the 90s, they're already kind of ringing the alarm like, ‘hey, this is a global crisis.’ Why do you think there was such a hold up [in linking healthcare]?
Del Buono: That’s a great question – and I don’t know. I do know enough about history that the thought was, if we could get the medical societies on board, they were pretty convinced that that would change the narrative, which in fact, it did.
I'm sure that there were many people aware of the public health crisis and the health impacts of climate change prior to that. It's increasingly so but for many, many medical schools, it's not part of the curriculum at all. It's not typically part of the board exams that people have to pass to become board-certified in a specific specialty. Similarly, I don't think there's a requirement for continuing education on climate change. For a lot of people, it's simply a matter of helping them connect the dots, that these impacts are happening.
Homsi: One thing you had said that had stuck out to me, is that when looking at climate change from a healthcare perspective, it's changing the narrative. Could you elaborate on what you mean by that?
Del Buono: Public health, and I would argue personal health, is an excellent way to frame climate change. It takes it from being a polar bear issue to a human issue. Not that the polar bear isn't also very important. But it gives it a personal quality, so that it's not just a discussion about climate science - which can be sort of esoteric and removed and doesn't resonate with people - to a very visceral and everyday kind of kitchen table discussion that people can relate to.
Homsi: Do you think that climate change could be a diagnosis?
Del Buono: Mmm. I actually think... that’s a great question. Clinicians have to code different illnesses. You're not going to diagnose somebody with climate change. But it makes sense to me that that could be a contributing factor to a patient showing up in your clinic. And it would be wonderful to be able to capture that in some way.
...What is our role as clinicians? Is our role, if you take the stream analogy, treating [patient] symptoms and sending them on the way, giving them some sort of medication? Or is our role, more importantly, to go upstream and see what pushed them in to begin with and see if there's something we can do to stop that effort?
Homsi: Yeah... putting climate change down as a contributing factor, it’s more holistic. Once you put it down, you’re recognizing it as an issue. And by labeling something as an issue, there’s the implication it needs to be solved.
Del Buono: I agree – 100%.
Homsi: Well, thank you so much, and this has been a great conversation.
Del Buono: Yes, take good care!
To learn more about the Michigan Clinicians for Climate Action, visit their website here.
