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To my teenagers, climate change is an existential crisis.\xa0 It\u2019s the end of the world as we know it.\xa0 They decry the lack of serious attention and prioritization this issue has in the US.\xa0 My kids ask - why don\u2019t adults care about this issue the same way that they and their friends care about it?\xa0 My kids have taught me that the emphasis on personal responsibility (reduce your carbon footprint!) was supported by the fossil fuel industry, because it shifted responsibility for change from industry to individuals.\xa0 Voting and emailing congress to advocate for systemic change (e.g. less reliance on fossil fuels) likely has a greater impact than recycling your newspaper.

Today we find inspiration for my kids: there are adults who care deeply about this issue, particularly for older adults who are much more vulnerable to health effects of climate change. Karl Pillemer is a sociologist and gerontologist who studies this issue and has created a platform called, \u201cAging and Climate Change Clearinghouse,\u201d that is a wide tent with room for older adults, researchers, and organizations.\xa0 As a researcher, I found the bibliography fascinating, including this gem by the gerontologist Rick Moody on the moral obligation of older adults to address climate change.\xa0

Leslie Wharton is a leader in the 26,000 member grassroots organization\xa0Elders Climate Action, which organizes older adults to create communities engaged in making a difference at local, state, and national levels.\xa0 As she notes, these volunteer activities can bring meaning and purpose, in the face of a seemingly insurmountable problem, to the elders in her organization.\xa0

And we talk with Ruth McDermott-Levy, who wrote a practical guide for discharge planning in the era of climate change (example - a generator safety checklist).\xa0 Ruth advocates for and teaches about aging and climate change at Villanova, and calls on nurse scientists and other health researchers to study climate change.

-@AlexSmithMD\xa0

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Additional links:

JAMA paper on clinical research risks, climate change, and health

Geriatric medicine in the era of climate change\xa0

Health Care Without Harm:\xa0https://noharm.org/

Practice Green Health:\xa0https://practicegreenhealth.org/

Global Consortium for Climate and Health Education:\xa0https://www.publichealth.columbia.edu/research/programs/global-consortium-climate-health-education