New Year, New Focus on Climate & Health Solutions

As noted in a recent Washington Post article, small changes alone won’t stop climate change or save our planet, but your actions are still worthwhile, and you shouldn’t feel helpless. With New Year’s resolutions poised to guide us toward better health in 2025, here are some steps to lower your carbon footprint while enhancing your well-being.

• Create less food waste – The carbon footprint of US food waste is greater than that of the airline industry. The biggest proportion of food waste (37%), happens in the home.
• Ditch your grass. This saves trillions of gallons of water a year, decreases pesticide and fertilizer runoff into waterways, and reduces the use of billions of gallons of gasoline to run lawn and garden equipment.
• Shop sustainability by buying less – Very few things you can purchase actively benefit the climate. Refurbishing, repurposing, and redistributing items in your community is one idea for ‘greener’ economies.
• Weatherize your home – Most utilities will help by offering home assessments to seal leaks and decrease energy waste on heating and cooling. Arizona’s Department of Housing provides Weatherization Assistance Programs, and assistance from APS and TEP is also available.
• Trade in for an electric car or consider public transportation – One of the most powerful individual actions people can take against climate change is modifying how they get around. This is because the transportation sector is the biggest source of planet-warming emissions in the United States. Rebates remain available for electric car purchases.
• PASS IT ON – Educating your peers, family, and community is a great way to multiply your efforts. Please share this information and help them take steps to make their lives more climate friendly.

What We Are Reading & Listening to Now

• 2023 was extremely hot. Then came 2024 (NPR)
• The Lancet report: Global temperatures continue to rise at catastrophic rates (PublicHealthNeswire.org)
• NY Law Penalizes Companies for GHG Emissions (NY Times)
• Air pollution caused by AI Tech could lead to 1,300 US deaths annually by 2030 (watch the video) (Independent)
• Researchers create a Sponge to Soak Up 99.9% of Microplastics (GoodNewsNetwork)
• Can Phoenix lead heat and climate change responses? (AZCentral)
• How to deal with all the black plastic in your kitchen (WashPost)
• Meeting January 9^th on SRP’s rate hike (Mesa Independent)
• Talking Climate with Katharine Hayhoe: 2024 progress, challenges, and what you can do (Substack)
• AZ Climate: 2024 Review (Azcentral)
• Climate Action Through Innovative Policy: New Initiative Aims to Improve Health Care Sustainability (NAM)
• NIH Climate Change and Health Initiative 2024 Annual Report (NIH)

Join Us

• Recording from December 10^th’s webinar: Perspectives on Plastic Lifeecycle Series: Plastics use and Demand Recording.
• Recording from December 11^th’s webinar:A panel discussion on Extreme Weather in Arizona Recording.
• January 8^th: 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm (MST): Health Hazards of Plastics: From Production to Disposal Register
• January 21^st: 5:30 pm – 6:30 pm (AZ) Save the Date. AzNA Climate Change and Health Workgroup meeting
• January 22^nd: 10:00 am – 1:00 pm (AZ) Climate for Health Ambassador Training co-hosted by APHA and Climate for Health Register for this free training designed for nurses and other health care professionals.
• February 12^th: 8:30 am – 2:00 pm Sierra Club Environmental Day at the Capitol. Learn more about the day and register here.
• February 12^th: 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm (MST): Youth Climate Action Register
• February 19^th: 12:00 pm: Health Center Preparedness & Response Forum: Extreme Heat Virtual Register
• March 1-4^th 2025: Our Planet, Our Health 2025 Climate Action Convention Washington DC Register
• March 12^th: 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm (MST): Achieving Energy Independence in a Healthcare Setting Register
• April 9^th: 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm (MST): Climate Change and Farming: Worker Protections and Community Resiliency Register
• January 8^th: 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm (MST): Health Hazards of Plastics: From Production to Disposal Register
• May 21^st: 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm (MST): Impacts of Heat on Vulnerable Populations Register

Thank you for joining us in making a healthier planet today!

Join Us: Webinar-Extreme Weather in Arizona

On December 11^th, at 2:00 pm (AZ), the AzNA Climate Change & Health Workgroup’s Chair, Pat VanMaanen, will join the Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments and Climate Action Campaign’s webinar to discuss Arizona's Extreme Weather (heat). PoderLatinx and Unlimited Potential will also join the speaker’s panel. REGISTER

OSHA Rule to Protect Workers from Extreme Heat Dangers

ACTION ALERT

We are looking for more nurses’ signatures. Can you help?  If you signed already, THANK YOU. Could you share this alert with five other nurses so we can collect more signatures and get the word out about the importance of passing this OSHA rule?  If you did not sign yet, please do so this week.  If you need more information about this rule, read our post from Nov 21st.

Why This Matters

• Heat is the most significant cause of extreme weather mortality
• Nationally, heat-related deaths have steadily increased. 2023 has been the deadliest in AZ, and 2024 will likely be no different.
• Agriculture industry: 19.5 deaths/100K (2021)
• High temperatures lead to other climate-related events, including poor air quality, wildfires, and extreme weather events like flooding.

Why Your Voice Matters

• Nurses are trusted sources of information for the public
• Public trust extends to your role as a source of information about climate change; you are an effective messenger for communicating important information about climate change and health (George Mason Center for Climate Change Communications)

Sign In Support of the OSHA Rule

What We Are Reading & Listening to this Week

• Rep. Raul Grijalva will step down as top Dem on key US House panel on environment (AZMirror)
• Average bills for SRP customers could be headed higher (AZCentral)
• Year in review: The water warrior (Arizona Agenda)
• ASU’s Crow on his role in climate, sustainability work (AZCentral)
• A Strange New Climate Era (WashPost)
• Stop Emissions, stop warming: A climate reality check (The Climate Brink)

Join Us

• December 10^th: 5:30 pm AzNA Climate Change & Health Workgroup Meeting Zoom Link
• December 11^th: 10:00 am: Arizona Extreme Heat Summit Report-Out [Zoom] Register
• December 11^th: 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm (AZ Time) Arizona Extreme Weather in 2024 featuring AzNA Climate Change & Health Workgroup, hosted by ANHE and CAC. Register
• February 12^th: 8:30 am – 2:00 pm Sierra Club Environmental Day at the Capitol. Learn more about the day and register here.
• March 1-4^th 2025: Our Planet, Our Health 2025 Climate Action Convention Washington DC Register

Thank you for joining us in making a healthier planet today!

OSHA Rule to Protect Workers from Extreme Heat Dangers

ACTION ALERT

Callings all nurses. We need you to sign on to a support letter. For the first time in US history, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has proposed rules that protect indoor and outdoor workers from extreme heat risks. Fewer than ten states have standards, and Arizona is not one. Some cities, including Phoenix and Tucson, have ordinances for their workers. These rules protect our farm workers, construction workers, park and landscape workers, and other workers exposed to extreme weather. Once final, this rule will protect approximately 36 million workers. It will save lives and avoid illnesses.

Nurses see these workers in clinics and hospitals when they become ill after working on days that often reach 110 degrees or higher. As the heat rises and stays above 110 degrees, symptoms of heat cramps, exhaustion, or, worse, heat stroke are seen in greater numbers.

Why This Matters

• Heat is the greatest cause of extreme weather mortality
• Nationally, heat-related deaths have steadily increased. 2023 has been the deadliest in AZ, and 2024 will likely be no different.
• Agriculture industry: 19.5 deaths/100K (2021)
• High temperatures lead to other climate-related events, including poor air quality, wildfires, and extreme weather events like flooding.

Why Your Voice Matters

• Nurses are trusted sources of information for the public
• Public trust extends to your role as a source of information about climate change; you are an effective messenger for communicating important information about climate change and health (George Mason Center for Climate Change Communications)

Sign In Support of the OSHA Rule

What We Are Reading & Listening to this Week

• DOE announces nearly $2B in funding for power grid upgrades (AZ Digital Free Press)
• Phoenix passes $60M shade plan; plant trees and build shade structures (azcentral)
• Infection Plus Exposure to Traffic-related Air Pollution Increases Alzheimer’s Risk 177% (Medscape Nurses)

Join Us

• December 6^th: 12:30 pm – 1:45 pm (EST) Webinar: Climate Conversations: Reimagining Household Products Register
• December 10^th: 5:30 pm AzNA Climate Change & Health Workgroup Meeting Zoom Link
• December 11^th: 10:00 am: Arizona Extreme Heat Summit Report-Out [Zoom] Register
• December 11^th: 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm (AZ Time) Save the Date: Extreme Heat in Arizona featuring AzNA Climate Change & Health Workgroup, ANHE, and CAC
• March 1-4^th 2025: Our Planet, Our Health 2025 Climate Action Convention Washington DC Register

Thank you for joining us in making a healthier planet today!

A Post Election Perspective

No Matter Who Wins

An Assemblage by Rebecca Faulkner

No matter who wins      I won’t give up          I will live                                

lightly on the land   wave to passing cars       embrace

those closest to me                listen                to less news & more music

Stand up          for what I believe in                No matter who wins

I will continue              to fight            for justice & human rights

solar panels will keep generating electricity              I will still ride my bike

share my story            through animation & music

keep working              to decarbonize my community

I will continue                          to restore the wildlife habitat where I live

No matter who wins                           I will advocate for individuals

living with mental illness                    be the best grandmother

make kindness my priority                 No matter who wins

I will champion reproductive rights                treat others

with respect & kindness                      I’ll continue to fight

be mindful of water usage                  advocate for gender equality

help build a more peaceful world                   be respectful of others

No matter who wins               I will support my family, friends & neighbors

Speak               with respect & empathy         champion humility

No matter who wins               I will smile at people               I won’t hide

From difficult things                I will stay positive

organize for peace                  racial equity & social justice

I will continue              to plant trees              No matter who wins

I will     show up

Make art         continue to love

No matter who wins

Join Us for Our November Meeting

The next Workgroup meeting is Tuesday, November 12^th, at 5:30 pm. Please add this to your calendar to join us and invite a fellow nurse; we will have a guest speaker from Climate Action Campaign (https://www.actonclimate.com/), hear from attendees of the 2^nd Annual Arizona Heat Summit, discuss and develop a response to the new OSHA Heat rule, and more.

What We Are Reading & Listening to this Week

• ‘Incredibly hot’: Extreme weather exposes practical health challenges (National Journal)
• NOAA says Ozone layer could ‘fully recover’ by 2066 (CNN)
• DOE Announces Collaboration with Tribal Leaders to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Strengthen National Security (DOE)
• Urban tree cover provides consistent mitigation of extreme heat in arid but not humid cities (ScienceDirect)
• Tiny shards of plastic are increasingly infiltrating our brains, study says (CNN Health)
• Extreme heat disproportionately exacerbates health issues by threatening fresh food supply (nature)
• Slides: Heat Response Activation Tiers, Thresholds, & Activities (2024 AZ Heat Summit)
• Pesticides and prostate cancer incidence and mortality: An environment-wide association study (Cancer)

Join Us

• November 12^th: 5:30 pm – 6:30 pm AzNA Climate Change & Health Workgroup monthly meeting Zoom Link
• December 11^th: 10:00 am: Arizona Extreme Heat Summit Report-Out [Zoom] Register
• December 11^th: 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm (AZ Time) Save the Date: Extreme Heat in Arizona featuring AzNA Climate Change & Health Workgroup, ANHE, and CAC
• March 1-4^th 2025: Our Planet, Our Health 2025 Climate Action Convention Washington DC Register

2024 Arizona Heat Summit      

Over 200 health and community professionals attended the 2024 Arizona Heat Summit on October 23^rd to discuss our most recent heat season and consider revisions to the state heat plan. Several AzNA Climate Change and Health Workgroup members and partners attended. Below are some takeaways from attendees and comments heard during the sessions offered throughout the day.

• In 2024, Phoenix had 142 days over 100 degrees in Phoenix (a 113-day streak from May 27^th to September 16^th), and Tucson had 114 days over 100 degrees (so far). Phoenix had 62 days over 110 degrees. The average is 21 days.
• 70% of 2024 emergency department visits for heat-related illness were in males; 50% were 18-44 years old.
• 69% who died from a heat-related issue in 2023 lived in Arizona for 20+ years
• In 2006, Maricopa County had 40 cooling centers; in 2024 there were 130 cooling centers
• NEW: Maricopa County Public Health Heat-Related Deaths Dashboard
• Tucson adopted Worker Heat Protection Ordinance and Heat Action Roadmap in 2024
• Arizona has established a heat tier system for action, works closely with the National Weather Services for warnings and action
• Overall, 1% of hospital visits are for heat-related illness
• 1/3 of 911 heat-related illness calls in Phoenix occurred when cooling centers were closed, resulting in the city extending cooling center and respite site hours, adding a 24/7 site.

VOTE: It’s Time

Voting is underway and we have created three documents to assist you in voting for climate champions, each a provided below.

• Understanding Candidate Positions About Climate Change & Health
• 2024 Voting Tool for Nurses: Central Arizona Water Conservation District Board
• 2024 Voting Tool for Nurses: Arizona Corporation Commission

ACTION: OSHA Protection of Workers from Extreme Heat

OSHA has released a long-overdue proposal for a new rule that better protects workers from the dangers of extreme heat.  Our summers are growing longer and hotter, as noted by those who attended the 2024 Arizona Heat Summit last Wednesday. Heat exposure has been linked to higher rates of preterm labor and stillbirths, heat stress, heat stroke, respiratory distress, and even heart failure.  Heat can also interact with many common medications with dangerous outcomes. Health professionals know that prolonged exposure to extreme heat can be deadly. Yet too many workers still lack basic protections like regular water breaks, access to shade, and rest periods.

We’ve been waiting a long time for federal heat standards and protections; act today by submitting your comments to OSHA.  It’s easy by using this link. Add your own words to this draft message.

What We Are Reading & Listening to this Week

• Ambient Air Pollution Exposure and Outcomes in Patients Receiving Lung Transplant (JAMA)
• ASU Receives Funding from US Dept of Energy to Tackle Climate Change by Removing Carbon From the Atmosphere (US Dept of Energy)
• Balancing water and energy (TroutUnlimited)

Join Us

• November 12^th: 5:30 pm – 6:30 pm AzNA Climate Change & Health Workgroup monthly meeting Zoom Link
• March 1-4^th 2025: Our Planet, Our Health 2025 Climate Action Convention Washington DC Register

Thank you for joining us in making a healthier planet today!