Climate Change Will Kill Our Kidneys

Excerpt: ”There is a very high chance climate change is going to take a lethal toll on our kidneys in the United States (and globally) if we do not decrease the impact of global warming and pollution. Chronic kidney disease is swiftly becoming another climate induced public health issue in an already fragile state of healthcare in the U.S. For many people, the thought of kidney disease is scary. It is not uncommon for people to jump right to dialysis which comes with a significant burden and extreme dependence on dialysis treatment just to stay alive. Because of systemic racism, Black people are less likely to have access to healthcare specialists such as nephrologists to determine potential alternatives prior to initiating dialysis treatments, and it turn, are more at risk of having unsuccessful results after receiving dialysis treatment.

As it relates to environmental racism, African Americans are 75% more likely than White people to live in “fence-line” communities (1), making Black people among the most at-risk for a myriad of chronic health concerns. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1 in 7 Americans or 35.5 million people have chronic kidney disease. With diabetes and high blood pressure being the most common causes, almost 1 in 3 people with diabetes and 1 in 5 people with high blood pressure have kidney disease. Black Americans are 4 times more likely develop end-stage renal disease (ESRD) which requires dialysis treatment. And unfortunately, Black Americans are also dying at faster rates from chronic kidney disease than White Americans, with a 23% increase compared to a 9% increase between 2019 and 2020. (2) .”

Check out full article HERE in the Young, Gifted, and Green Catch the Green Tea Blog Series.