NH Climate Health Action Talk
October, 2024
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2024 Annual Fundraiser Update
Get Out The Vote!
Climate Change and Food Systems: Challenges and Possibilities
Upcoming Climate Cafe
Survey Request
Bimonthly Challenge
Thank you to our Corporate Sponsors!
2024 Annual Fundraiser
Join Us in Shaping New Hampshire's Future! Make a Difference for Yourself, Your Children, and Your Grandchildren!
A heartfelt thank you to everyone who has contributed to our 2024 Annual Campaign so far! Together, we’ve raised nearly $20,000, and with your support, we'll still be on track to reach our goal of $35,000.
But we can’t do it alone. Every donation counts, whether it’s $10, $25 or $50, or a small, monthly donation. Your support fuels our mission at NH Healthy Climate, allowing us to expand vital children’s after-school programs, deliver impactful community presentations, and strengthen our advocacy efforts across the state.
Get Out The Vote!
"Doctors and nurses around the country are giving the same prescription - vote."
Read more in, “Voting is good for your health. These doctors want to help.” from Harvard Public Health.
Climate Change and Food Systems: Challenges and Possibilities By Joanne Burke, Phd, RD, LD, NH Healthy Climate
Climate change impacts all aspects of life, including the capacity to grow and procure nourishing food and clean water. Likewise, food systems and dietary practices impact climate change. These inextricable relationships provide challenges but also opportunities for adopting progressive adaptation and mitigation strategies that could simultaneously promote both population and planetary health.
Recent Events as Examples of Climate Change and Food System Viability:
There is no running away from climate change. Asheville was once thought to be a climate haven, until Helene devastated this region of North Carolina. Hurricanes are estimated to be 2.5 times more likely to occur now than in pre-industrial revolution times. Scientists suggest that climate change caused over 50% more rainfall during Helene in some parts of Georgia and the Carolinas, and that global warming made the high amount of rainfall up to 20 times more likely. Tragically, as of October 7th, Helene has been estimated to have caused at least over 230 deaths, with still many individuals unaccounted for in the states ravaged by the hurricane.
Not only has there been an extensive loss of life, the food and water system impacts are extensive and still being assessed. For instance, the six states most affected by Hurricane Helene—Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Florida and Virginia— produce roughly half of the country’s 9 billion chickens every year. Losses in production will lead to a loss in livelihoods for many producers and workers, reduced availability, and increased prices for consumers and food services operations alike.
In Georgia, the Georgia Farm Bureau, and the University of Georgia College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences estimate Helene’s impact has been extensive, causing an estimated $6.46 billion in agricultural and forestry losses. These included impacts on poultry, dairy, cattle, timber, cotton, horticulture and nursery plants, vegetables, citrus, blueberries, soy, pecans, cotton and tobacco.
Besides the direct loss of food production, once the flood water recedes, many communities are faced with severe water system challenges. In the case of Helene, the states most impacted by the storm also produce cattle, hogs, and poultry. Not only does cattle and hog production lead to increased methane released, many of the confined animal production operations store animal manure in lagoons and open pits. These pathogen-rich lagoons easily contaminate water supplies during floods and severe weather events. Though public systems will be evaluated for bacterial contamination, individual households depending on private wells are faced with multiple challenges-from meeting daily water needs for bathing, cooking, and cleaning, paying for water tests, and in some cases getting new permits and digging new wells. Many of the areas in which concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFO) used for poultry, cattle and hog production are located are in rural, low-income neighborhoods. Given many households struggle with food costs, the additional cost of bottled water means less available income for purchasing food.
As individuals and families, we will not eat our way out of climate change, but changes in consumption and waste patterns can lead to reductions in GHG releases. They can also lead to improved nutritional status.
Read the full article here, to learn about strategies to changing food and water practices. And be sure to vote with climate and health in mind!
Upcoming Climate Cafe
Climate Cafés are facilitated small-group gatherings for parents with young children to share thoughts and emotions on the impact of climate change on parenting and their children’s health.
Survey Request
The Northern New England CO-OP Practice and Community Based Research Network (NNE CO-OP PCBRN) is seeking input from current primary care clinicians on a survey that includes questions about climate-related primary care.
Provider Insights Participatory Engagement (PIPE) Survey: Access survey here
Eligibility: Primary care clinicians currently practicing in Maine, New Hampshire, and/or Vermont
Average survey completion time: less than 6 minutes
Optional gift card raffle: clinicians who complete the survey can choose to enter a drawing to receive 1 of 15 Visa gift cards each worth $500
Questions? Contact NNECO-OPPCBRN@Hitchcock.org (Subject: 2024 PIPE Survey)
Bimonthly Challenge
I am cleaning up my living room this week so I can host a few local Democrats and Republicans who are running for representative from my town of Hollis. My house is always a bit messy but I can vacuum it and fluff up the couch pillows, serve some wine and chocolate and hopefully entertain my guests. I’m going to give a talk about the effects of climate change on our health to these political hopefuls to help them understand the need for changes in our state to promote our transition to clean energy and to ban single use plastics. This is not exactly bird-dogging, but I love that phrase so I will use it. Bird-dogging means attending a candidate forum and asking questions about an issue with the intention of drawing out the political hopeful about their thoughts on the subject, while at the same time letting them and the others in the audience know you care about this issue.
I thought if I am going to talk to NH politicians, I had better understand a little of what they do. So I checked out the NH.gov website page on State Government Overview. I did not know that the NH legislative branch is known as the General Court, composed of 400 Representatives and 24 Senators. In fact, there are so many legislators running around in our small state, that we are the largest legislature in the US, and one of the largest in the world! Holy cow!
When our elected legislators have an idea for an improvement in the laws of NH they draft a bill that outlines the changes they would like to make. All of the legislators will then vote on this bill. To get ideas for these bills, elected officials will look to their hometowns to see if there are problems that can be solved and will listen to their constituents (that’s you and me) for ideas. They care what their electorate has to say and what our concerns are. Once your hometown neighbor gets elected they will have some big ideas in the form of bills coming before them to decide on. There are going to be a lot of bills that address trying to transition to clean energy here in NH as well as bills on reducing the use of plastics in our state. If a legislator has spoken to people in his town that take environmental issues seriously they will be more likely to listen more thoughtfully and favorably, and hopefully at least make suggestions for compromise instead of just voting no on climate friendly bills because they do not understand the importance.
So here is my October 2024 Chat Challenge:
Vote in our November elections!
Ask a friend or family member who might not take the time to please go vote also.
Vote for the environment! Know which politicians are more likely to vote yes on climate friendly legislation and support them. (both here in NH as well as our US elections)
When you walk into your polling center on voting day take a moment to stop and chat with the candidates for just a minute. Wish them well and thank them for running. Let them know that you are concerned about our climate and hope they will consider supporting legislation that will help New Hampshire and the United States transition to clean energy and reduce our reliance on single use plastics.
Try to attend a candidate forum for your local State and federal legislatures and do some bird-dogging. Please note that individuals should not reference their affiliation with NH Healthy Climate in candidate forums. It is okay to identify yourself as a healthcare professional and share your thoughts, professional expertise and opinions, provided views are not linked to NH Healthy Climate. Here is a link to questions you can use to ask the candidates how they feel on environmental issues.
You can learn more in John Gage’s piece, “Talk Climate with Candidates”.
Darla Thyng, MD
(Busy this month bird-dogging and getting out the vote.)
Thank you to our corporate sponsors!
