Climate change, a global issue that requires a prompt response, is caught up in political agendas. Climate change and politics are a struggle for power, influence, and profit. Whether governments care about climate change or not depends on their political priorities. Short-term victories or partisan squabbles can distract from tackling this fundamental dilemma. Political arguments exploit climate change to mobilize supporters or discredit opponents. Politicians have a huge impact on public perceptions of climate change, with some denying its existence and others making extravagant pledges without a strategy. Citizens seeking effective leadership on this vital issue must negotiate the labyrinth of political agendas that may promote sustainability or delay efforts for self-serving motivations.
Climate Change and Energy Policy
Climate change affects energy policy, which in turn affects many other policies. A policy package aimed at limiting climate change should include reducing emissions of greenhouse gases and other pollutants as well as increasing efficiency in the use of energy.
Achieving these goals will require the development and deployment of new technologies and policies to promote renewable energy. It will also require that we restructure taxes and other economic policy instruments to make it more cost-effective to achieve these reductions.
Most Americans prioritize the use of renewable energy and back a number of longer-standing proposals to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, including planting more trees (76%), taxing companies on their carbon footprint (70%), and making cars more fuel-efficient (61%). However, most do not support phasing out gasoline vehicles by 2035, and generational differences on this issue remain stark.
Republicans and Republican-leaning Americans disagree on the issue, while large majorities of Democrats and Democratic-leaning Americans believe that human activity is to blame for climate change.
Climate Change and Food Policy
The most direct way climate change affects food is its impact on water availability and agricultural productivity. Crops need adequate levels of water to grow and thrive, and climate change can lead to reduced supplies of freshwater or exacerbate water scarcity in areas already struggling with drought. Food prices also spike when weather events, such as droughts or floods, interrupt the food supply.
In addition, climate change affects the nutritional quality of food. Climate change has an impact on insect infestations and disease pressures, and increased diseases can worsen hunger.
Politicians in the United States are divided on how to deal with climate change, particularly how it affects agriculture. The US has stepped away from high-profile global leadership positions on climate change, and this has put progress toward reducing carbon emissions at risk. It has also shifted the focus of discussions to adaptation rather than mitigation policies. This puts the US at odds with many developing countries that see agriculture as a key to successful mitigation efforts.
Climate Change and Health Policy
The leading cause of climate change is human emissions of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and methane, which blanket the Earth and trap heat. This warming is affecting the natural world, with glaciers melting, sea levels rising, and animal habitats changing.
Increasing temperatures also pose health risks. Air pollution worsens respiratory illnesses, especially in children and seniors; heat increases hospital admissions and emergency department visits for cardiovascular and respiratory diseases; and extreme weather events increase the risk of injury.
Healthcare systems face the challenge of preparing for and responding to climate threats, as well as the additional costs of caring for people who are exposed to new or exacerbated health hazards. One example is the shortage of a key medication in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria damaged the manufacturing plant for a robust saline solution.
Disproportional impacts are seen among disadvantaged populations, especially those who have a lower sensitivity to environmental stressors and a lower capacity to adapt. They include low-income communities, some groups of color, individuals with limited English proficiency, immigrant groups, children, older adults, and persons with preexisting medical conditions.
Climate Change and Agriculture Policy
Climate change affects agriculture and food security at a global, regional, and local level. Increases in temperatures, changes in precipitation patterns and extreme weather events, decreased water availability, and shifts in the growing season may reduce crop yields and quality.
Agricultural activities also contribute to greenhouse gas emissions, primarily in the form of carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide. In addition, soils in some areas are major carbon sinks. In other regions, however, nutrient-rich soils are being lost as a result of intensive cultivation and conversion to pasture.
People living in developing countries are most vulnerable to climate change’s impacts on agriculture and food. They depend on agricultural, forestry, and fisheries activities for income and food and lack the ability to rely on insurance mechanisms or other income streams to protect against climate-related shocks. Additionally, rising temperatures exacerbate existing economic inequalities, increasing the risk of poverty. This could thwart efforts to reduce poverty and increase development. This is why we need to ground all policies on climate change in equity.