Change Your World Week Winter 2023 (Archived)

In word where the climate is crumbling, what are you going to do to implement change?

This webpage introduces climate change and dives into the different areas climate change affects the world around us and our day-to-day life. The areas discussed include, food supply, weather, as well as health. We will also look into ways each and every one of us can step up and take action to lessen the severity of climate change.

The relationship between socioeconomic inequality and health disparity is deepened by natural disasters, as shown by the slow recovery efforts.

People who already struggle with illnesses like diabetes and kidney disease have seen their conditions worsen as the long-failing healthcare system is overburdened with patients and neglected by the mainland government in Puerto Rico, where poverty rates are double those of the poorest continental state.

Even after the restoration of health services, the effects of the storms on people's health could last.

Hurricane Harvey revealed the dangerous storms' aftereffects. Chemical pollutants linked to cellular damage, cancer, and other long-term health issues were released as a result of storm damage at 40 industrial sites.

Food access may be significantly impacted by any climatic disruptions to food distribution and transit, whether they occur domestically or internationally.

The American food delivery system routinely transports significant amounts of grain by water. There are few, if any, alternative transportation routes in the event that a canal is affected by a severe weather event. One of the worst summer droughts the US has ever experienced in 2012 was brought on by high temperatures and a lack of rain, which had devastating effects on the Mississippi River watershed, a crucial transcontinental shipping route for Midwestern crops.

Diseases and parasites that harm livestock may become more common as a result of climate change. Certain parasites and pathogens may be able to thrive more readily as a result of spring arriving earlier and winters being warmer.

Any one of us has the power to influence. You might believe that changing your own lifestyle won't make a significant impact on climate change, yet small changes can add up to a significant impact if adopted by a sufficient number of people.

A significant global increase in bicycle use might cut urban transportation emissions by up to 10% by 2050, according to a 2015 study by the Institute of Transportation Studies at UC Davis.

Global Shift to Bicycling

Water conservation helps to decrease the impact of climate change.

According to research from the UC Davis Center for Water and Energy Efficiency, during the California drought that lasted from June 2015 to April 2016, conserving water resulted in electricity savings of 1,830 gigawatt hours, or enough to power 274,000 homes for an entire year while also reducing greenhouse gas emissions by the same amount as taking 110,000 cars off the road.

Cho, Renee. "Climate Change Poses Challenges to Plants and Animals." State of the Planet, Columbia Climate School, 3 Feb. 2015,   . Accessed 16 Mar. 2023.

Climate Impacts on Agriculture and Food Supply." Climate Change Impacts, US EPA,

climatechange.chicago.gov/climate-impacts/climate-impacts-agriculture-and-food-supply#:~:text=Climate%20change%20can%20disrupt%20food,result%20in%20reduced%20agricultural%20productivity. Accessed 2 Mar. 2023.

Kerlin, Kat. "18 Simple Things You Can Do About Climate Change." , UCDAVIS, 8 Jan. 2019, 

www.ucdavis.edu/climate/what-can-i-do/18-simple-things-you-can-do-about-climate-change. Accessed 16 Mar. 2023.

Kivland, Chelsea, and Anne Sosin. "Why Climate Change Is Worsening Public Health Problems." The Conversation, 25 Jan. 2018, theconversation.com/why-climate-change-is-worsening-public-health-problems-86193. Accessed 24 Feb. 2023.