Good personal and public health are pillars of well-being. Every stage of our energy system impacts health, with disproportionate effects on the socially vulnerable. Climate change worsens many of those impacts and creates an entirely new set of health challenges.
Since the birth of the modern oil industry in the late 19th century, tens of millions of wells have been drilled, and upwards of 1.5 trillion barrels of oil have been extracted. That is enough oil to fill about 96 million Olympic-sized swimming pools! Onshore wells have been drilled in nearly every type of terrestrial ecosystem, and every continent except Antarctica has oil extraction in its coastal marine ecosystems.
Energy insecurity manifests itself in many dimensions. One of the most harmful forms is the inability to maintain the desired temperature of a household. The term thermal comfort describes a person’s state of mind in terms of whether they feel too hot or too cold.1 Whether at home or at work,
In 2010 the United Nations General Assembly canonized the human right to water and sanitation through a resolution recognizing “the right to safe and clean drinking water and sanitation as a human right that is essential for the full enjoyment of life and all human rights.”1 That declaration stems from
Weatherization is the process of protecting a home or building from the outside elements. Often this means insulating the home to reduce the effect of extremely hot or cold outdoor temperatures on indoor spaces. Weatherization includes air sealing, plumbing, recessed lighting, replacing doors, windows and insulation in walls, and the
A dramatic, overall improvement in food security is one of the great success stories in human history. Especially since the Green Revolution of the mid-twentieth century, both the quantity and quality of calories supplied improved people’s day-to-day health, lengthened life spans, and boosted nearly every other aspect of well-being. Yet
Life expectancy is an important gauge of human well-being. It is an indicator of Sustainable Development Goal #3 to “ensure healthy lies and promote well-being for all at all ages,” and a key element of the Human Development Index. In ancient Greek and Roman times life expectancy at birth was
Key Concepts Infectious and non-communicable diseases impact marginalized and socially vulnerable populations at disproportionate rates. In the United States, differences in illness and death rates due to COVID-19 align with differences in income, class, race, ethnicity, gender, and other and other social conditions. Hispanic, Black, NHOPI and AIAN people are from
Since the birth of the modern oil industry in the late 19th century, tens of millions of wells have been drilled, and upwards of 1.5 trillion barrels of oil have been extracted. That is enough oil to fill about 96 million Olympic-sized swimming pools! Onshore wells have been drilled in nearly every type of terrestrial ecosystem, and every continent except Antarctica has oil extraction in its coastal marine ecosystems.
Energy insecurity manifests itself in many dimensions. One of the most harmful forms is the inability to maintain the desired temperature of a household. The term thermal comfort describes a person’s state of mind in terms of whether they feel too hot or too cold.1 Whether at home or at work,
In 2010 the United Nations General Assembly canonized the human right to water and sanitation through a resolution recognizing “the right to safe and clean drinking water and sanitation as a human right that is essential for the full enjoyment of life and all human rights.”1 That declaration stems from
Weatherization is the process of protecting a home or building from the outside elements. Often this means insulating the home to reduce the effect of extremely hot or cold outdoor temperatures on indoor spaces. Weatherization includes air sealing, plumbing, recessed lighting, replacing doors, windows and insulation in walls, and the
A dramatic, overall improvement in food security is one of the great success stories in human history. Especially since the Green Revolution of the mid-twentieth century, both the quantity and quality of calories supplied improved people’s day-to-day health, lengthened life spans, and boosted nearly every other aspect of well-being. Yet
Life expectancy is an important gauge of human well-being. It is an indicator of Sustainable Development Goal #3 to “ensure healthy lies and promote well-being for all at all ages,” and a key element of the Human Development Index. In ancient Greek and Roman times life expectancy at birth was
Key Concepts Infectious and non-communicable diseases impact marginalized and socially vulnerable populations at disproportionate rates. In the United States, differences in illness and death rates due to COVID-19 align with differences in income, class, race, ethnicity, gender, and other and other social conditions. Hispanic, Black, NHOPI and AIAN people are from
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