IM : Do you remember learning about climate change in your medical training ?
NT : I don ’ t . IM : I don ’ t either .
NT : We both trained at a time when climate change was not a part of the medical school curriculum ( thankfully that is starting to change !), and so it was definitely a shock to learn about the health concerns . But once you do , you see it all around you . Ten years ago , I never would have thought about climate change as being an important topic to discuss in the clinic . But now , in the face of worsening summer heat extremes , record wildfire seasons , and more intense natural disasters , it feels like such an essential part of public health awareness .
IM : Anything you ’ re seeing in your patients recently ?
NT : With the warmer spring weather coming on , my patients often reflect on how their pollen allergy symptoms seem to be starting earlier in the year . Data show that this is in part due to climate change . As compared to 30 years ago , global warming and associated changes in temperature and precipitation patterns have contributed to a pollen allergy season that is about 3 weeks longer than it used to be ( it is starting earlier in the year and lasting longer ), and there is about 20 % more pollen in the air . I recommend starting many of the nasal allergy sprays about two weeks before the pollen season to best control symptoms , but unfortunately knowing when to start can be confusing for patients when the start date changes .
IM : The consequences of shorter winters .
NT : As a pediatrician , you are on the front lines of climate change in your patients . What are some of the ways you approach the topic of climate change with your patients and their caretakers ?
IM : A common reason for kids to come to the doctor ’ s office is for insect bites . Unfortunately I am seeing tick and mosquito bites for longer portions of the spring and fall , so that ’ s more potential exposure to Lyme ’ s disease , Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever , West Nile Virus , and other diseases transmitted by these insects .
NT : This past December , I noticed that there were mosquitoes around me during the unseasonably warm winter weather . I mentioned this to another pediatrician . She was telling me how surprised she was to have two patients one day with tick bites – a previous anomaly for our region .
IM : I also help them think through family disaster preparedness . And I often point out that climate change is the reason we need to have these conversations . A lot of what we do in pediatrics is what we call “ anticipatory guidance .” My job is to help parents and families anticipate what might happen , as so much of the climate crisis is about uncertainty .