The Truckee Tahoe region is experiencing the accelerating impacts of climate change with profound consequences for our health and well-being. As physicians, we witness firsthand the health impacts of this change.

As we have all recently experienced, climate change is increasing the risk of wildfires. According to a team of UC Davis researchers, the northern California wildfire season of 2020 generated inflammatory changes detectable in the blood of people casually exposed to the smoke. These changes can potentially lead to permanent lung disease. Children are especially highly impacted by wildfire smoke because their lungs are more vulnerable, and they breathe a relatively bigger air volume compared to adults, and spend more time outdoors. Wildfire smoke is comprised of a mixture of gaseous pollutants (e.g., carbon monoxide), hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) (e.g. polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons [PAHs]) and particle pollution. Particle pollution represents a main component of wildfire smoke and the principal public health threat that compromises our lung function and is harmful to our health.

The Truckee Tahoe area is a WUI (wildland urban interface) now at much greater risk for fire due to the combined climate effects of heat and drought. How many of us even knew the term WUI five years ago? How many of us knew about checking AirNow.gov or PurpleAir.com before exercising?

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Additionally, unpredictable snowfall patterns and milder winters foster expansion of infectious diseases like Hantavirus, West Nile Virus, and Plague into our community. Farther south diseases like Dengue fever are entering California. We have rattlesnakes in our area which were unheard of ten years ago. Our local medical services and health care teams are struggling to keep up with the evolving diseases new to our region.

Summer heatwaves, once rare, now necessitate costly air conditioning for many homes and businesses, straining budgets and exacerbating inequalities. Moreover, as the cost of living soars, many essential employed individuals struggle to remain in our community, potentially compromising emergency services and healthcare accessibility during a climate related crisis.

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It is evident that we are facing a planetary emergency, with the vulnerable populations bearing the brunt of these impacts. From physiological challenges to psychological trauma, the toll of human caused climate change is immense.

However, amidst the daunting challenge, there lies the opportunity for collective action to safeguard both our health and our environment. There are steps we can take, both individually and collectively, to combat this crisis.

Individually:

We can start by reducing our own carbon footprint by walking and biking more, driving less, eating more plant-based meals, eating locally, reducing our dependence on single use plastic, and reducing food waste.

We can learn about our workplace’s climate action plans and if they don’t exist, we can help develop them. (And, yes, our health care industry can do a much better job on that; perhaps we can address that in another dispatch.)

Collectively:

We can encourage our employers to join the local Climate Transformation Alliance, a climate empowerment initiative. http://www.climatetransformationalliance.org

On a community level we can talk about climate action and advocate for systemic change, every action counts.

Our voice can be amplified and we can feel empowered by joining an advocacy organization. In the Truckee Tahoe area we can join the local branch of the national, nonprofit, grassroots organization Citizens’ Climate Lobby. https://citizensclimatelobby.org/

Let’s work to create the political will to address climate change by supporting those who prioritize preparedness for climate events and will take action to mitigate climate change.

In the end, public health is not just the responsibility of a few—it’s a collective endeavor. It’s about what we all do together to create a healthier, more sustainable future for generations to come. We all can roll up our sleeves and tackle this challenge head-on, for the sake of our health, our future generations and our planet.

Ken Cutler, M.D. is a retired pediatrician and former local public health officer. He currently resides in Grass Valley.

Joy Koch, M.D. has been a primary care and hospice provider in the Truckee Tahoe area for 36 years.