Younger M, Morrow-Almeida HR, Vindigni SM, Dannenberg AL. The built environment, climate change, and health: opportunities for co-benefits. Am J Prev Med 2008; 35: 517-526.
Summary: The relationship between the built environment, climate change, income inequality, and health is complex. However, we do know, from this article, that the leading causes of death in the U.S. are related to energy, transportation, and nutrition. The body of this article explains specifically how transportation infrastructure, building design and location, and land use policies affect green house gases (GHG) and thus adversely affect human health. To frame the discussion in a more positive way, the authors explain how improving the built environment to reduce GHG emissions results in co-benefits for the planet and humans in all income levels.
General Concensus: Reviews for this comprehensive article were positive. Students appreciated that the authors mentioned how communities with lower SES are most susceptible to health effects caused by climate change. There was general praise for Table 1.
Additional Comments:
"In one section, it is brought to the reader's attention that exposure to air pollutants is linked to diabetes mellitus, but a relationship or cause and effect association is not explained. This is a serious issue that requires further explanation due to its indirect or unobvious nature." (ENVH)
"Climate change is still such an amorphous concept to most people, while the built environment and health are generally more tangible. Formulating arguments in a way that allows individuals to see the direct personal benefits associated with a behavioral or policy change will help speed progress in implementing an interdisciplinary agenda to reduce climate change and improve public health." (UDPL)
"While I appreciate the acknowledgement of disproportionate effects of climate changes along demographic lines, the reader is left searching for solutions. I feel as hopeless and helpless as I did at the outset. This was a good article, however it is presenting very big issues that have no real solutions at this time." (Social Work)