An Introduction to the Current Climate Crisis

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The page below is a sample from the LabCE course Reducing the Environmental Impact of Clinical Laboratories. Access the complete course and earn ASCLS P.A.C.E.-approved continuing education credits by subscribing online.

Learn more about Reducing the Environmental Impact of Clinical Laboratories (online CE course)
An Introduction to the Current Climate Crisis

The phrase Climate Change has been around for a while, but as scientists continue to compile data, it has become obvious that we are currently experiencing a Climate Crisis. Fossil fuel use, modern agricultural practices, deforestation, the generation of huge amounts of waste, and pollution are among the many human activities that are causing the warming of the earth and degradation of the environment. The warming is primarily due to greenhouse gas emissions such as:
  • CO2,
  • methane,
  • nitrous oxide, and
  • hydrofluorocarbons.
There is no longer a debate as to whether the excess CO2 in the atmosphere is human-generated because the carbon produced by burning fossil fuels has a different ratio of heavy to light carbon atoms, meaning - its 'fingerprint' is different from that of carbon in other CO2.
The only uncertainty is to what degree the earth - and all living things on the earth - will be harmed. The number of extreme weather events and natural disasters has more than quadrupled just since 1980. Worldwide, people are already becoming climate refugees. However, the problems will only get worse as the earth continues to warm, polar land ice continues to melt, and seas rise. Meanwhile, some areas are becoming arid, while others deal with flooding. The graph below shows some of these recent events.
The US has the highest cumulative greenhouse gas emissions and also has the highest per capita emissions. China is "catching up" by currently emitting more overall greenhouse gases on a yearly basis. Each person plays a part in this scenario, and as most know, there are many things that we can do to slow down emissions and other environmental assaults. Not just individuals, but industries and organizations need to evaluate their role and take steps to eliminate or limit their contributions as well. Healthcare systems are some of the major contributors to emissions, waste, and pollution. Anyone who has worked in a clinical laboratory knows that labs are a big part of this scenario.
This course will discuss the role that clinical laboratories play and the many steps that we, as laboratory scientists, managers, and leaders, can take to diminish our footprint.
1. NOAA. National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) U.S. Billion-Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters (2023). Public domain. Last modified February 3, 2023. Accessed February 12, 2023. https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/metadata/landing-page/bin/iso?id=gov.noaa.nodc:0209268

US Billion-dollar Disasters. (1)