I started researching this piece feeling naively optimistic. I thought I had a fairly good understanding of the impacts of climate change on human health, what with the dangers of pollution and the risks associated with extreme weather, but it turns out what I knew was only the tip of the (rapidly melting) iceberg. With every new article or report I found, my urge to quickly close all of my internet tabs, slam down the lid of my laptop, crawl into bed and escape into the dystopian world of Margaret Atwood’s The Testaments grew harder to ignore. But shying away from the facts is what got us into this mess in the first place, so hiding under my duvet isn’t going to make it all go away. In fact, doing nothing will almost definitely make it worse.
I am aware that there’s a tricky tension between wanting to save the planet for the planet’s sake and wanting to save the planet to avoid human suffering, but there’s probably a sensible middle ground to be found. Realistically, there’s little point having a healthy Earth if there are no healthy humans left to populate it – we’ve got to do it for ourselves just as much as for the animals and for nature itself. And let’s be honest, most people in today’s individualistic society will struggle to find the motivation to act unless there’s some sort of personal threat. But is this threat something new?