New coalition working to spread climate change awareness

Lung Cancer, Lyme Disease, Crop Loss, and Heat Stroke… these are just a few of the public health issues on the rise thanks to climate change.

That’s according to the members of Climate and Health Action Together, or CHAT, a new, statewide coalition of health and climate professionals. Representatives of the coalition gathered this morning in an online call to share their personal stories treating patients affected by these diseases. 

They say their first goal is to get Wisconsinites talking about the problem.

“You may be thinking: ‘Why are we starting with simply talking about these issues today and sharing stories?’ Well, because studies from Yale, other universities, and public polls all agree and continually show that the majority of Wisconsinites are worried about climate change. And even a higher majority agree that we should pursue practical solutions. But when asked when people in their town or community care about climate change, people heavily underestimate the support of their neighbors and friends. And we can’t get anywhere if we think we are alone. Part of the challenge is 34 percent of Wisconsinites say they discuss climate change with others, and even fewer said they heard about it in the media at least once a week. Today we are taking a step to change that, sharing stories about how people from across Wisconsin have already been impacted,” says Abby Novinska-Lois.

She’s executive director of Healthy Climate Wisconsin, a health and environmental justice advocacy group – and one of the many organizations involved in CHAT. When it comes to public health and climate advocacy, Novinksa-Lois tells WORT, there’s strength in diversity.

“One of the major benefits of this coalition is that it’s really cross-sector. Our organization is primarily clinicians and nurses and health care professionals… It’s really meant to be far beyond the health care sector to help people understand what the health concerns are and what they can do in their communities to protect their health,” Novinska-Lois says.

Health care professional Dr. John Meurer also spoke at this morning’s press conference. A professor of pediatrics and community health at the Medical College of Wisconsin, Dr. Meurer shared his experience treating a young patient with heat stroke. 

“Fortunately she recovered. But her case is a stark reminder that extreme heat, now the leading cause of weather related deaths, is no longer a distant danger. It’s already affecting the most vulnerable members of our community,” says Dr. Meurer. “This isn’t just an environmental issue. It’s a public health emergency.”

Given Wisconsin’s reputation as a largely rural state, the average resident may not consider air pollution a threat. But winters are getting dryer in our state thanks to climate change…and Wisconsin is increasingly vulnerable to wildfires. 

Dr. Joan Schiller, an oncologist, says it’s time to have a conversation about lung cancer. 

“Even with the many newer, more effective treatments that have recently become available, the five-year survival rate of patients diagnosed with metastatic lung cancer is only six percent… Air pollution is a Class 1 carcinogen as rated by the International Agency for Researching Cancer…It’s responsible for about fourteen percent of all lung cancer deaths worldwide, including in people who’ve never smoked,” Dr. Schiller says.

Disease isn’t the only public health risk associated with climate change. 

Michelle Danforth-Anderson, tourism director from the Oneida Nation, recounted the food challenges the Oneida reservation has experienced.

“In 2023 the winter was so warm… the trees actually blossomed early… there was a hard freeze and we ended up losing about 85 percent of our crops. Which, not only impacted our business of the orchard. It also impacted programs for our food distribution. For community members, we do special pickings for elders and things like that,” says Danforth-Anderson.

Jennifer Gauthier is the Director of the Sustainable Development Institute at the College of the Menominee Nation. She added today that the changing climate is making it harder for Indigenous communities to continue their cultural practices around food.

“While we have always adapted to change, many recognize that there are cultural practices that we are engaged with that will either drastically change or disappear altogether. So, if we’re disconnected from our Menominee food systems and our cultural practices, how does this impact our health?” Gaulthier says.

Novinska-Lois, of Healthy Climate Wisconsin, says that today’s press conference is just the beginning of CHAT’s mission to foster conversation.

“We will be leading a couple of storytelling workshops in the coming months, and then we will be posting stories from all over the state sharing from students and other groups,” Novinska-Lois says. She adds that, when it comes to climate action, we’re all in this together. “The most important takeaway is that, if you’re concerned about climate change and how it’s impacting all you care about in Wisconsin, whether it’s the places you love or the people around you… one thing I would like you to know is that you’re not alone… it’s important that we talk about how it’s affecting our little ones or our families or our communities. Because if we’re not talking about it, we can’t make solutions that will benefit our well being.”

Image courtesy: Samuel Regan-Asante / UNSPLASH