I first became interested in public health and epidemiology as a college student majoring in Environmental Science. During my undergrad years, I was inspired by Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring and Sandra Steingraber’s book Living Downstream: An ecologist looks at cancer and the environment, as well as the history of John Snow and the removal of the Broad Street pump to end the cholera epidemic in London in 1854. I was (back then) and continue to be challenged by the interdisciplinary nature of public health, fascinated by the complexity of the science, and inspired when that science is used to make policy and programmatic decisions to improve health.
I share this story about how my career as an epidemiologist is rooted in environmental science because today is Earth Day — and while Earth Day may conger images of tree planting and litter collection, Earth Day for me is a day to pause and recognize the intimacy between my health and the environment.
I am healthy/alive today because I have clean air to breathe, safe food and water, and shelter (which I am especially grateful for as it snowed today in NW PA). I need a healthy environment/community in order to be healthy, and I believe I am responsible for working to create a healthier and cleaner world for my children and their children.
I am reminded of the ancient Iroquois philosophy —
“In our every deliberation, we must consider the impact of our decisions on the next seven generations.”
Earth Day is yet another reminder that we are connected (all of us across the globe) and we will only be truly healthy when we are all healthy. And a healthy environment is needed to ensure human health. In the words of Dr. Aaron Bernstein, Interim Director for the Center for Climate, Health, and Global Environment at Harvard —
“We must protect nature to protect ourselves.”
Earth Day & the Pandemic
As we celebrate Earth Day virtually for the second year in a row, the pandemic continues to ravage. The spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus is intimately linked to the environment —
Environmental degradation is a risk factor in the spread of infectious diseases like SARS-CoV-2. When humans encroach on or destroy animal habitats, the likelihood for a spillover event increases. A spillover event occurs when a virus moves from one species to another. In the case of SARS-CoV-2, the virus jumped from bats to humans (likely with an intermediary species in there, too). In order to prepare for or prevent the next pandemic, we need to prevent deforestation and regulate wildlife trade.
Clean indoor environments - with upgraded HVAC systems - are also needed to prevent the spread of infectious diseases. We need classrooms and office spaces with access to clean outdoor air and increased air circulation. We need safe and affordable housing - devoid of mold, lead paint, and vermin - where windows open, heating systems work properly, and clean water is available for drinking and handwashing. Our indoor environments need to be protected and made safe to ensure health for all.
The speed at which the SARS-CoV-2 virus and its variants have spread across the globe demonstrates the interconnectedness of our world. Viruses know no boundaries. Crises - such as COVID-19 or climate change - defy the borders that have been created by humans and marked on a map. We are part of a global community, and as I have written before we will only be healthy when we are all healthy.
This global connectedness — bringing us together virtually on Earth Day again — should be our source of inspiration today (and all of the days to follow) as we work to decrease the spread of COVID-19 in our communities. We should also be inspired to look to the future and work toward prevention. What can be done to prevent the next pandemic? further spread of the variants of SARS-CoV-2? climate change? deforestation? spillover of diseases from animals to humans? We need to simultaneously address the wicked problems facing us today and look toward the future and focus on prevention.
For as Kathleen Rogers, president of the Earth Day Network, says —
“At the heart of Earth Day’s 2021 theme, RESTORE OUR EARTH, is optimism, a critically needed sentiment in a world ravaged by … the pandemic.”