ACCOUNT FOR CLIMATE CHANGE
July 12, 2020
The Valley Air District board recently gave its annual report, and outlined a number of commendable actions it has been taking to improve air quality. But I didn’t see a single word about climate change and its effect on our air.
Many medical groups, including the Fresno-Madera Medical Society, consider climate change to be a significant public health threat. Extreme weather can elevate ozone concentrations, impair the health of outdoor workers, exacerbate forest fires, and fill our air with dangerous smoke. Air pollution has even been linked to higher death rates from COVID-19 infections, according to a recent Harvard study.
Fighting climate change addresses four problems at the same time: air pollution, rising CO2 levels, our health, and our economy. California’s cap-and-trade program helps our Valley replace highly polluting trucks, cars, tractors, and pumps. The money is estimated to produce $5 in health-care savings for every $1 spent.
And it’s not just humans that are affected. Climate change also impacts the health of our Valley’s animals and crops, on which our economy depends.
The Valley Air board needs to start acknowledging the elephant in the room. The directors ignore climate change at our peril.
Don Gaede, Fresno
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