The Tribune

By JERVON SANDS

This year’s Bahamas Youth Climate Conference benefitted from the wisdom of Dr William Hamilton MSc, MBBS. During the conference, Dr Hamilton gave a presentation that informed the audience of the links between climate and health, pertaining to the ongoing health outcomes in The Bahamas. 

Dr Hamilton delivered relevant and relatable case studies within his presentation. These scenarios described what health issues may arise for Bahamians of different backgrounds in different positions as a result of extreme heat and extreme weather events which are driven by the climate crisis.

One of Dr Hamilton’s scenarios featured Marcus Russell a 25-year-old man with a history of diabetes that works in construction and attends BTVI. Marcus was working everyday at the construction site to finish a project. 

A heatwave was occurring at the same time where temperatures had exceeded 100 degrees Fahrenheit. 

Towards the end of the work day, Marcus’ coworkers found him collapsed and after being rushed to the ER he was diagnosed with heat stroke.

Marcus’ story is just one example of what can happen if Bahamians are not prepared for the impacts of climate change on our islands.

Although climate change has varied impacts on the health of individuals depending on a number of factors, it can also severely affect public health. 

For instance, people living in a community that experiences a hurricane could endure physical harm during the storm to the extent of losing their lives. They could suffer health complications if medications are lost during storm. 

They may have limited access to health care professionals after the storm making it difficult to manage chronic illnesses. They may be exposed to health threats as a result of flooding that leads to an increase in disease carrying insects. 

They may struggle with their mental health after the storm, experience PTSD, and develop a serious fear of future hurricanes. 

Those with firsthand knowledge of Hurricane Dorian’s impact would’ve witnessed and may still be witnessing those effects it had on their communities. 

As we all saw this year with Hurricane Beryl climate change is quickly making every hurricane akin to Dorian which seriously threatens the health and wellbeing of Bahamians. 

This means that we share a responsibility to adapt to the impacts of climate change. Fortunately, Dr Hamilton provided the audience at BYCC with some actionable steps on how to do just that. 

Primarily, it is important to be educated on how climate change may affect your well being and that of your community. Discuss with your health care provider how impacts like high temperatures may affect your pre-existing health conditions or any medications you may be taking. Work within your communities (schools, churches, workplaces, etc.) to ensure that facilities are climate ready with plans in place to respond to the effects of various impacts. 

Nationally, we can build to withstand these impacts, make weather forecasts accessible to everyone, ensure that citizens are aware of the health risks related to those forecasts, improve evacuation strategies and be good citizens that share necessary information with others while checking that they are healthy and well. 

Dr Hamilton, concluded by encouraging the audience to bring up topics like climate change with their health care providers. This pushes medical professionals to do their homework on how climate change impacts their patients. That way we can increase the number of Bahamians thinking about, talking about and developing solutions for climate change. 

Please stay tuned for upcoming articles on topics related to climate change impacts in the Bahamas. You can also get updates on more of our work by following us @bccya.242, @cceaubahamas, & @sdgunit242 on Instagram.