Ronda Seifert RN BSN IBCLC’s Post

What is most important to understand is that we are gambling. Scientists do their best with the info they have, but these are complex systems and scientists are almost always conservative in their predictions. That means it is often worse than what they will say. We need to take climate action quickly. Stop gambling. *** '"The worry is that we are underestimating the speed that the glacier is changing, which would be devastating for coastal communities around the world," Christine Dow, a professor at the University of Waterloo in Canada and co-author of the study, said in a press release. But researchers say more work is needed to fully understand what effects the warm water is having beneath the ice formation. [conservative and cautious] At roughly 80 miles across, Thwaites is the widest glacier in the world and roughly the size of Florida. It has been nicknamed the "Doomsday Glacier" for the catastrophic effects its thawing could have on global sea-level rise." *** We need to treat climate change with the urgency it deserves, like our homes, our cities, our children, our future really matters.

Most of my childhood homes were less than 800 square feet and we often used our oven to heat our home. Now I see this research and understand why both my sibling and I have damaged lungs. His were further damaged in the Navy, but I'm sure the damage accrued in our homes and as we walked along the diesel truck route that we walked to get to school did not help. We were children living in poverty like many other children today. Children deserve clean air. In their homes and in their communities.

These are two slides that demonstrate poor clarity in data sharing. The AZ county slide tells us nothing. Without sharing the county data as deaths/total county population, we have no idea if the size of these county death hexagons simply reflects the relative population size of each county in comparison to each other (larger counties having more deaths, smaller counties having fewer) OR if one of the counties might have an unusually high (or low) rate. Without the denominator, this is likely just a slide showing the population density of these counties. That's not what this data is supposed to tell us though, is it? It's a useless slide that does not provide clear data. A more useful slide would compare rates for each county. To understand why, let's simplify an example: Pretend data: Maricopa has 10 deaths out of a total of 100 Maricopa County population. La Paz has 1 death out of a total of 10 population in that county. So the death rate would be the same: 10%. Therefore their hexagons would be the same size. But let's say Mojave has 5 deaths out of a total of 10 population in Mojave. Their rate would therefore be 50%. Their hexagon would be 5 X the size of the other two, even though they have fewer total deaths, but something is happening in Mojave because in my pretend example, half the population is dying from heat-related deaths. Their hexagon SHOULD be larger, right? The rate can tell us where we need to look at problems and figure out why a county is having a higher rate of death (or perhaps a lower one and look for protective factors). The same goes for their data on the percent of white people who died and the percent of hispanics. Without denominators that tell us the relative rates, I have no idea if the death rates are the same for different races and the 57% simply reflects the % of whites in AZ OR if we looked at deaths/1000 for each race, what would that data tell us? For years and years, I have been asking ADHS to share racial data as a rate per 1000 for each group. Their choice not to do that tells me they don't want that story of racial inequity to be told. Why is that? I've seen enough health data in my career to guess what rates for each race would likely tell us, but when public health leaders hide the truth in vague data that does not clearly tell what is happening, I suspect that someone in leadership doesn't really want to clearly tell the story because then there would be an expectation to address the inequity that the data reveals. The race data and the age data should be stated as rates per 1000. Otherwise, it tells us nothing. I did not attend the presentation, but this unclear data is disappointing because it means that either someone does not understand why this is unclear or they understand and are choosing not to be clear. Either one is concerning if you want to find better solutions and reduce heat death inequities. #data #truth #healthequity

As the next hurricane season is set to begin (officially, June 1st - November 30th, but likely to start sooner), this one is expected to be a doozy: "Big numbers rise as we near the start of hurricane season: 25 named storms, 12 hurricanes and 6 major hurricanes are expected this season, according to the new outlook. This is the highest number of hurricanes anticipated in any outlook issued by The Weather Company. ... A pattern called the positive North Atlantic Oscillation is expected across the Atlantic. Put simply, the high pressure system that lingers near Bermuda and the Azores in the heart of hurricane season will be stronger. This may steer more systems west while also trapping them in the tropics with no safe escape route. Forecasters expect the number of hurricane landfalls to be twice as high as is typical for a season. ... “Insanely warm North Atlantic sea surface temperatures to drive hyperactive season as La Niña develops again, with enhanced risk of Gulf of Mexico and Florida landfalls,” says Todd Crawford, Vice President of Meteorology at Atmospheric G2 and author of the outlook." https://lnkd.in/gXXvY3nH "In 2024 (as of May 8), there have been 7 confirmed weather/climate disaster events with losses exceeding $1 billion each to affect United States. These events included 5 severe storm events and 2 winter storm events. Overall, these events resulted in the deaths of 70 people and had significant economic effects on the areas impacted. The 1980–2023 annual average is 8.5 events (CPI-adjusted); the annual average for the most recent 5 years (2019–2023) is 20.4 events (CPI-adjusted)." https://lnkd.in/gfNx7d6S). A warmer world is not the world we want to leave to our children.

Over my years of climate advocacy, periodically, I see well-meaning climate advocates touting hydrogen as a climate solution. Looking only at tailpipe emissions (water & oxygen), I can see why it sounds good in theory. But tailpipe emissions are not the whole story. As they say, "the devil is in the details" and that is absolutely true of hydrogen. So if you're not sure if hydrogen is a good solution for transportation and home heating or not (it's not), I suggest you read more from hydrogen experts that are not affiliated with the fossil fuel industry, such as Paul Martin* and energy transition analyst, Michael Barnard, but one of my favorite experts to learn from about hydrogen and other potential fuel sources is Michael Sura. Not only does he provide the technical explanations, but he also provides infographics that help to make complex science much more understandable. Hydrogen is a beloved project of the fossil fuel industry because making it, prepping it for transport, transporting it and storing it is highly energy intensive and almost all of that energy is made by burning lots and lots of fossil fuels. And using renewable energy to make it instead doesn't make sense either because making & using hydrogen wastes a LOT of energy and there are better options (as illustrated in the post below). This post is one of many really good ones that make Michael Sura someone to follow here on LI. *Mr. Martin and I don't align on some topics (chemical fertilizers & plastics), but we have different health and food system backgrounds that help inform our opinions. I still learn a lot from him about hydrogen and carbon sequestration false solutions. I'm currently reading Frank von Hippel's "The Chemical Age: How Chemists Fought Famine and Disease, Killed Millions, and Changed Our Relationship with the Earth" and just a few chapters in, it has already helped me to better understand that we have often had very good intentions when we started using many products (including fossil fuels, ironically). They often served a good purpose... until we better understood their unintended harms. Science is about continually learning. As we learn, especially when we are looking at the larger interconnected systems, including our overall planetary health (which we humans also rely upon), we often must change our assessments and recommendations. If it isn't already clear, I love science.

We all operate with biases, perhaps some more than others. I see posts and comments frequently where very intelligent people are operating with misconceptions, misinformation, or outdated information. The reality is that if someone is talking about something that was true five years ago, but now it is no longer true, it's still wrong info. Yet I see people saying things all the time, especially about evolving technologies, as if 'once true' is the same as 'always true.' It's simply not the same. Things change. I also really appreciate the discussion about underlying assumptions. Often, we assume that what is normal to us is the norm for all. Often in these cases, we are not even aware that we are making these assumptions, which can be worse because we don't think to question them. Underlying assumptions can skew research, too. For example, often in breastfeeding research, I've seen many examples where infants who are bottle fed being used as the norm (frequency and amount of feeding, sleeping patterns, disease incidence, SIDS risk, etc.) despite this being a fairly recent change to infant feeding. If we are unaware, we may make further errors simply because we haven't considered how this assumed norm might be impacting results or outcomes. The key is being aware that we have biases and to be open to exploring what some of those might be. When it comes to climate change, there is a well-funded effort to disinform by the fossil fuel industry, so it is more important than ever to think critically and consider who might benefit from certain underlying assumptions. We must listen when there are dissenting voices - what if I'm wrong and they are correct? How would I best determine in the most objective way which idea is correct? Being open to that possibility can help us avoid errors in analysis. The following article discusses some of the common blind spots when it comes to the needed energy transition to address human-caused warming. One of the things I find important in reading posts on LI is to also read comments (carefully). Sometimes I find valid criticisms to consider. Sometimes I find fossil fuel disinformation. Learning about climate solutions is not easy. It's also important to consider the potential conflicts of interest and biases of those you follow here on LinkedIn.

Attention #Homevisitors and #earlychildhood supporters: I so love Dan Wuori's posts. They should be in a library that home visitors can access, show to families and then have a conversation about them. We are mammals, so we learn by observing other mammals. What a great way to demonstrate how parents can help their children grow, explore and learn with their most important first teachers. I highly recommend following Dan. He shares such wonderful clips that would be great conversation starters and inspirational modeling. Love it! Nurse-Family Partnership Healthy Families FIRST THINGS FIRST . Arizona Department of Health Services Southwest Human Development Family Spirit

This is a really important post to share. Please consider sharing it. If that feels a little scary, then I encourage you to start a conversation with someone you trust. Every journey must begin with a first step. For those already walking with us, thank you! You may not see the ripples, but chances are, you're making a bigger difference than you realize. Let's tip this movement!

Watching the devastating flooding happening in Brazil and more here in the US, I am reminded of the many ways that flooding impacts health that some might not be aware of. I liked how this article lists out the common impacts based on timing (immediate to long after flooding events). I also liked that it provided some prevention and planning ideas. https://lnkd.in/gYqa_7Hk These are additional ways that cities can reduce their flood risk: https://lnkd.in/g5q9_fcc And as an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant who taught classes on the ongoing immune protection that moms provide via their milk, I would advocate for better access to lactation education and support before and during a disaster response. As we experience more disasters, having access to that clean, safe nutrition and hydration and the adult immune support from mom could mean the difference between life and death for little ones during a disaster. Disaster: Breastfeeding Is a Life Line: https://lnkd.in/gM-rqKvY Stay safe out there.

"To ensure we survive and thrive, we must find ways to feed a growing world without ultimately destroying the planet that sustains us. ... Without a doubt, our agricultural practices and food systems are degrading the global environment, compromising our long-term future. Agriculture uses more land than anything we do. It is the biggest driver of species extinctions and ecosystem degradation. It is the single biggest user and polluter of water on the planet. And it is among the world’s most significant contributors to climate change. And, yet, we all need to eat. We can’t simply decide to stop agriculture for the sake of the environment. Producing food at scale is perhaps the most important – and necessary – activity humans engage in. Without it, our modern civilization would cease to exist. To ensure we survive and thrive, we must find ways to feed a growing world without ultimately destroying the planet that sustains us. This year, Project Drawdown will be taking a critical look at our planet’s food systems to help guide us toward that future, and we encourage you to follow along." This is one of the best summaries of how the way we are growing our food is impacting our wellbeing in multiple ways. For me, the major piece missing is our use of chemicals (insecticides, herbicides, fungicides, etc., many that were originally developed for chemical warfare) that are used in our agriculture today in ever growing amounts that are also harming our water sources, our pollinators and other critical species, our own health and that of our planet. It's all about food. What we eat, what we waste, how we grow it, how far it travels, what we destroy to make room for it, how we water it - our current food systems are harming us and our planet, but there are solutions. I'm excited to see what Project Drawdown will add to the list. https://lnkd.in/gHAFSiwZ