Over the years, we have all had it drilled into us that we must “save the environment.” It is the mantra of the stereotypical environmentalist, and we have heard it so often that we don’t really believe it anymore. Only rarely do we think of the effects of the much clichd “environmental disaster” on humans, and this is what Kent Bransford came to remind the Guilford community.Bransford, a representative of PSR (Physicians for Social Responsibility), spoke at Guilford on Monday, March 26. His presentation, entitled “Death by Degrees: The Health Threats of Climate Change in North Carolina,” focused on “a fairly recent phenomenon, the man-made impact on climate.” Consequences of this phenomenon, which developed only in the last 100 to 200 years, range from heat-related illness to contamination of drinking water to increased serious asthma attacks.

Bransford spoke primarily of the effects of “global climate changes,” the term he preferred to the typical “global warming,” comparing the heat held in by increased greenhouse gases to “smoking in a closed room.”

“There is nearly universal agreement,” Bransford said, “that CO2 (carbon dioxide) induces global warming, though there’s some disagreement as to the extent of its effect.” Regardless of this disagreement, CO2 levels have risen 30% since 1850, and, “as we have deforested, we have removed one of nature’s ways to remove CO2, to sequester it, while at the same time, we are increasing our emissions.”

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, during the past 25 years, “global temperatures have dramatically increased at a rate greater than 3.0 degrees Fahrenheit per century, up from the 1.1 degree F increase rate of the past century.”

This “climate change,” predicts the International Red Cross, “will be manifested in a catalogue of disasters such as storms, droughts, and flooding, unparalleled in modern times.”

The changes affect temperature, precipitation, and sea level, leading to dramatic extremes in weather, such as prolonged droughts (which greatly increase chances of forest fires) and periods of heavy precipitation and flooding. “There’s a whole host of domino effects that can ultimately impact your health,” said Bransford. “With flooding, for example, water-born diseases and infections, such as the cholera epidemics in Africa right now, become a huge concern.”

Much of Bransford’s presentation came as a surprise to many people. “My lasting impression is that he emphasized that global warming is going on now, that we’re seeing its effects right now,” commented first-year Eva Clement. “Usually you hear about global warming happening in a hundred, two hundred years or so. It was kind of a shock.”

Bransford concluded that the situation is far from hopeless. Individuals should focus on energy efficiency in their own lives, and contact their government officials .with their concerns. “It’s in our hands,” he said. “The greatest risk lies with inaction.”