Climate Change

The Impact of Climate Change on Human Health

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This time last year, I wrote an editorial describing the wildfires burning north of San Francisco, where many WiRED volunteers and board members live. Because of air pollution, we were holed up in our homes, able to venture outside only for chores and obligations we could not avoid. This year the fires have returned, and so has the air pollution, although the air isn’t as foul as it was last year. This year’s new disaster-related feature was the preemptive electricity outages, where power companies plunged 2.7 million people into darkness. Of course, neither the pollution nor the blackouts approach the horrors of the fires themselves and the losses to people who suffered through those infernos.

Climate Change

Global Climate Strike

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“Our house is on fire — let’s act like it. We demand climate justice for everyone.” So say the world’s youth as they stage a week-long Global Climate Strike event September 20–27 to demand an end to the age of fossil fuels. Students across our threatened Earth are walking out of school on September 20 to save the planet for their future and for future generations to come. Many school systems in New York City and elsewhere are giving permission for students to leave class, and companies from Amazon to Ben & Jerry’s plan to close their doors for part of the day in solidarity.

Climate Change

Update on Dengue

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Dengue fever threatens nearly half of the world’s population, but it will likely get much worse. The New York Times reports on a recent study that forecasts that climate change is about to boost the risk of the disease to considerably larger swaths of the population.

Climate Change

Earth Day 2019

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In the past year, WiRED International has posted a half-dozen Web stories about the environment and climate change. We raise the subject in editorials, descriptions of our programs and in articles submitted by contributing writers. A good friend wrote recently telling me that he likes WiRED’s work on community health education, but he thinks our pieces on climate change and the environment are off the mark. In his polite and thoughtful way, he said, stay in your lane — which is health education.

Climate Change

A Climate Change Perspective … from Generation Z

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My name is Olivia Spirito. I am presently a senior in high school, and I am a volunteer at WiRED. I believe that climate change is putting my generation and future generations at risk. Weather-related threats such as floods, hurricanes, droughts and forest fires will cause environments to become inhospitable. The lives of people who survived the recent forest fires in California (November 2018), the destructive Alabama tornado (March 2019) and the current raging flood in Afghanistan have been drastically changed forever. It is my hope that I and my future family will have a chance to live comfortably without the fear of uncontrollable factors like these catastrophic events.