Health is often defined as complete physical, social, and mental wellbeing; not only the absence of sickness. It is shown that the effects of climate change in the Anthropocene era have an impact on all aspects of human health. While illness and disease are constant elements of human existence, the causes and ways in which they are treated is constantly evolving. Using an ecological framework to examine human sickness and health reminds us that there is no sole cause of either—and that public health is impacted by many—often interacting—elements on both the individual and global level.
Professor Monica White defines the Anthropocene as the “current geological period where human activity has been the dominant influence on climate and environment” (White 2/1/2018). The changing climate of the Anthropocene era plays a large role in impacting human health and disease-- from disease outbreaks to natural disasters the effects of climate change have a monumental impact on sickness and health. As an example, the raising global temperatures cause mosquitos to become …show more content…
Some groups of people are impacted more than others when it comes to ecological health effects, whether they are included in the main drivers of the problem or not. This includes urban communities and areas targeted for industrial and toxic waste disposal sites. The disproportional targeting of minority communities can be seen as evidence of “Environmental Racism,” which includes discrimination and excluding minorities and people of color from leadership positions (White 2/6/18). Because of this, many minority groups do not have the same degree of protection from ecological health risks, or an equal access to the decision-making process that dictates the health of their environment and therefore