According to Knowlton, “we realize now like never before that our human activities affect the biosphere, the environment, and in turn what happens in the environment affects our human health in a very intimately connected way” (Lila Films, 2011). It therefore follows that the continued emission of greenhouse gases does indeed threaten public health both in the short-run and in the long-term. For instance, the emission of greenhouse gases has been linked to the increase in global temperatures – which has in turn been linked to a higher prevalence of infectious diseases.
One effort of the federal government in as far as reigning in the emission of greenhouse gases was the passage of the Clean Air Act. This particular Act, according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency - EPA (2019), seeks to regulate hazardous air pollutants emissions. As the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions (2018) observes, in a 2007 U.S. Supreme Court Ruling, it was “found that carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions meet the definition of ‘air pollutants’ under the Clean Air Act.”
There are various other strategies that could be embraced in an attempt to arrest the situation, i.e. reduce (or entirely halt) the emission of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. One such approach is ensuring that natural gas-powered facilities are embraced in place of the more than 1000 coal electric plants currently in operation. This is more so the case given that “coal-fired power plants release more greenhouse gases per unit of energy produced than any other electricity source” (Green America, 2019). The actions that I could personally take to promote change on this front include, but they are not limited to; the creation of awareness regarding the harmful effects of greenhouse gases, making of personal lifestyle adjustments to reduce emissions (i.e. the utilization of products that are energy-efficient), etc.
References
Center for Climate and Energy Solutions (2018). Events Leading to the Regulation of Greenhouse Gases Under the Clean Air Act. Retrieved from https://www.c2es.org/document/events-leading-to-regulation-of-greenhouse-gases-under-the-clean-air-act/
Green America (2019). Coal: Why is it Dirty? Retrieved from https://www.greenamerica.org/fight-dirty-energy/amazon-build-cleaner-cloud/coal-why-it-dirty
Lila Films (2011). American Public Health Association: Environment [video file]. Retrieved from https://vimeo.com/32226544
United States Environmental Protection Agency - EPA (2019). Summary of the Clean Air Act. Retrieved from https://www.epa.gov/laws-regulations/summary-clean-air-act
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