The Latest IPCC Report on the Climate Crisis, an "Atlas of Human Suffering" (February 28th)

Listeners are well aware I spend considerable time discussing the climate crisis.  Again, if it's not successfully addressed nothing else matters.    

Yesterday, the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) published its latest report that the UN Secretary General aptly termed an "atlas of human suffering."   The report's 35 page summary is here:  https://report.ipcc.ch/ar6wg2/pdf/IPCC_AR6_WGII_SummaryForPolicymakers.pdf. 

Sadly but to no surprise, the House Energy and Commerce Committee, with jurisdiction over health, health insurance, biomedical research, the environment, clean air & the climate crisis, had nothing to say about yesterday’s report, i.e., the committee did not issue a related press release.  E&C did announce on March 9th it was holding a hearing on Daylight Savings Time.  Appreciate the irony.  As for the Senate HELP, or public health, Committee, as I was told last night by majority staff, "the Burrs [staff for Richard Burr, the Ranking Minority member] simply won’t deal with us on climate."  

Concerning the IPCC report , the last sentence of the 3,500 report’s summary reads: “Any further delay in concerted anticipatory global action on adaptation and mitigation will miss a brief and rapidly closing window of opportunity to secure a liveable and sustainable future for all.”

Among innumerable findings, here’s SPM.B.1.4: “Climate change has adversely affected physical health of people globally (very high confidence) and mental health of people in the assessed regions (very high confidence). Climate change impacts on health are mediated through natural and human systems, including economic and social conditions and disruptions (high confidence). In all regions extreme heat events have resulted in human mortality and morbidity (very high confidence). The occurrence of climate-related food-borne and water-borne diseases has increased (very high confidence). The incidence of vector-borne diseases has increased from range expansion and/or increased reproduction of disease vectors (high confidence). Animal and human diseases, including zoonoses, are emerging in new areas (high confidence). Water and food-borne disease risks have increased regionally from climate-sensitive aquatic pathogens, including Vibrio spp. (high confidence), and from toxic substances from harmful freshwater cyanobacteria (medium confidence). Although diarrheal diseases have decreased globally, higher temperatures, increased rain and flooding have increased the occurrence of diarrheal diseases, including cholera (very high confidence) and other gastrointestinal infections (high confidence). In assessed regions, some mental health challenges are associated with increasing temperatures (high confidence), trauma from weather and climate extreme events (very high confidence), and loss of livelihoods and culture (high confidence). Increased exposure to wildfire smoke, atmospheric dust, and aeroallergens have been associated with climate-sensitive cardiovascular and respiratory distress (high confidence). Health services have been disrupted by extreme events such as floods (high confidence).”  

Needless to say I highly recommend reading the report's summary.