Extreme heat and a changing climate: How to protect ourselves
It’s been a record-setting summer for hot temperatures across the world. The Twin Cities ended June as the third-hottest on record and Earth recorded the hottest global temperatures in the first week of July. MPR News host Angela Davis talks with her guests about the dangers of extreme heat, how we can protect ourselves and… Read more »
Coping with a future of smoky skies and poor air quality
Minnesota has experienced its worst air quality on record in 2023. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency issued 24 air quality alerts so far this year for days when the air was polluted enough to be considered either unsafe for everyone or unsafe for vulnerable groups. One day, the Twin Cities had the worst air quality in the country. … Read more »
Feeling the heat: Farmer health on the frontlines of climate change
As temperatures rise, farmers face a scorching reality. Heat-related illnesses pose a grave threat, but by embracing heat safety measures, we can cultivate a healthy and resilient farming community.
Ellison asks feds to regulate health harms from gas kitchen stoves
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison is urging the federal government to investigate the health risks of gas kitchen stoves, which have been linked to indoor air pollution and childhood asthma by peer-reviewed academic research and environmental groups. “We’ve known for a very long time about the impact of NO2 on respiratory health, especially with outdoor… Read more »
Local View: Electric School buses would improve kids’ health, academics
Every school day, the health and wellness of hundreds of thousands of Minnesota’s K-12 students are put at risk. The culprit is harmful diesel emissions from the very school buses we trust to deliver our kids to and from school. As a retired physician and career health professional, and as the parent of an asthmatic… Read more »
COMMENTARY: Climate action is a prescription for better health
Across the country, we are already taking action because cleaning up climate pollution benefits the health of those in our care. We are starting by cleaning up our own house first. The U.S. health care system contributes 8-10% of the nation’s greenhouse gas emissions and produces a lot of waste. So, hospitals and clinics are switching… Read more »
State Legislature looks to ban non-essential PFAS “forever chemicals”
Kathleen Schuler is with the nonprofit Health Professionals for a Healthy Climate. She says studies have linked PFAS to some health effects, including kidney and testicular cancer, thyroid disease, liver damage, and immune dysfunction. “PFAS are referred to as forever chemicals, but they are also the everywhere chemicals.”
Grants could help state catch up with electric school buses
Diesel school buses are probably bad for our kids’ health, with studies suggesting the fumes to be a common cause of asthma. Could changing over to electric buses be the answer? Several states are driving in that direction, and Minnesota seems to be watching other states’ state-funded programs disappear into the distance. … Dr. Daniel… Read more »
Climate justice: Let’s not let white privilege be a barrier to solving the climate crisis
At this point, every one of us has experienced the impacts of climate change, whether it was the smoke from wildfires blanketing Minnesota last summer or the oppressive heat earlier this summer. We are all vulnerable to climate change harms, but the truth is some people are more vulnerable than others. And to build the… Read more »
Rx for Climate & Health equity: The Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty
A legally binding international climate treaty already exists. The 196 signatories of the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement pledged to limit global heating to 1.5 degrees C (2.7 F) compared to pre-industrial times. But the words “fossil fuels,” “coal,” “oil,” or “gas” never even appear in the Paris Agreement, and new fossil fuel infrastructure is still being greenlit across the world, locking… Read more »
