Opinion | The Climate Is Changing, So Is Our Job

Healthcare providers need to play a role in the discussion about climate change. We have a unique perspective to offer because our patients’ health is intertwined with the health of our planet. And we must treat this work as urgent, before discussion of this global challenge becomes so commonplace that we’re desensitized to it, or so daunting that we don’t know where to start addressing it.

We medical providers can break into that cycle by framing climate change issues in terms that help our patients begin to tackle the effects of our changing environment. It’s a complex new dimension to our care, and one that’s important to embrace because climate change isn’t going away.

We will continue to experience excessive heat warnings and deadly floods. Just take a look at the impact of Hurricane Ian in Florida today. Throughout the world, we’re seeing the broad medical consequences of climate change, from air quality warnings to heat-associated violence, and even suicide.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has connected warmer average temperatures with “the spread of diseases like Lyme disease” and warns that “…frequent and intense extreme heat events can increase illnesses and deaths, especially among vulnerable populations…” President Biden stopped short of declaring climate change a national emergency, but acknowledged it recently as an “existential threat.” Hopefully, the recently passed climate change bill will send a message about how urgent this is.

The perspective of behavioral scientists like myself — who are looking to understand people’s behaviors, conscious thoughts, motivation, influences, context, and habits — can make valuable contributions here. We can help guide providers to new ways of talking with their patients about the impact of climate change on health.

It’s worked before. Our work as behavioral scientists led to a massive “stop smoking” campaign that included cigarette taxes, smoking bans, warnings on cigarette packages, public service announcements and, of course, conversations with physicians, that has led to a U.S. smoking rate of 12.9% in 2022 — a record low.

With knowledge and insight, we can help physicians become informed messengers who make it clear how health is affected by climate change, and who reinforce individual and institutional efforts to slow and combat it.

Behavioral science can help providers expand their roles and learn how patients and communities are affected by and cope with climate-related changes. Our data and strategies can help medical providers educate patients about the connection between climate change and their health. Ultimately, it may help prepare patients to adapt to these changes and prepare us to continue to provide care when climate change-related disasters occur.

Acknowledging patients’ palpable — and understandable — crisis fatigue is a good starting point. That stress is real because we all are bombarded with global problems, from the pandemic and political and economic strife to climate change. It can contribute to a sense that we lack control and safety. Even patients who may be politically active, or those who conserve energy and recycle, may feel drained or helpless in the face of these tremendous challenges.

Providers can remind patients that they’re not alone in their concerns. Healthcare organizations, for example, are acknowledging the healthcare sector’s contribution to climate change (about 8.5% of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions) and looking to lessen their impact on the planet’s health. Healthcare organizations are also responding by reducing their carbon footprint, converting to renewable energy sources and reducing waste.

Behavioral science can help healthcare providers adapt their care as patients feel the consequences of climate change. Where air quality is poor, for example, patients may experience pulmonary difficulties. When there’s excessive heat, patients who usually go outside to exercise may not be able to do so. Diets may need to change as certain crops are no longer available.

Weather patterns play a direct role in individual and community health. As we have all experienced, and as confirmed by the Environmental Protection Agency, storms are becoming more severe, increasingly cause loss of life and population displacement, disrupt essential services like transportation, telecommunications, energy, and water supplies, and endanger public health in both the short and long term.

It’s clear that it will take the entire, multidisciplinary medical community to respond to these new realities.

We must advocate for legislative change, conduct more climate change-related research, and invite more health systems to join in these efforts. It is not too late for us to harness our data and understanding to confront climate change so we can continue to address the needs of the communities we serve.

Michael Diefenbach, PhD, is a behavioral scientist at the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research and professor at the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell in New York.