Select a specific method of energy production. Determine the most significant health risk associated with the production of this energy source, and recommend a process improvement that could significantly reduce the level of risk associated with the current method of production. Support your recommendation?
Environmental health is associated with the public health, which deals with the different aspects in the nature of the environment. The energy production includes several hazardous materials that can create the negative impact on the health of the human being (Twidell & Weir, 2015). The study is associated with the recognition of the methods of producing the energy and determines the potential health risk. Depending on such health risks, the recommendations will be presented accordingly. The linking of the climate changes with the health issues will be evaluated in this study. The study will also discuss the role of the government and regulatory factors in minimising the risks more specifically. The associated practices will be presented further in this study.
In this current genre, many of the methods are applied for producing the energy services that can facilitate the environmental resources for the future prospects. According to York (2012), energy can be produced by burning both the woody biomass and fossil fuel. The power supplied from burning fossil fuels and woody biomass is utilized in the hospitals and schools. In keeping pace with the technological development, the energy production has become more significant in this current time. Coal is signified as the most usable fossil fuel that can produce energy with lesser amount of emissions and mitigate the changing climate of the environment.
It is to be noted that burning fossil fuel is one of the significant ways to produce the energy services that are beneficial for the environment (Haines et al. 2014). However, the energy produced from the fossil fuels is the reason behind the environmental global warming. People in the environment are thus facing the health risks more effectively. The emissions of the hazardous chemicals in the environment are affecting both the reproductive and respiratory system of the human being. Moreover, the chemicals may directly affect the human organs and sometimes it forms several skin diseases (Smith et al. 2013). The radiation originated during the energy production is also much hazardous for the human health.
It is to be noted that the due to global warming, human beings have to face several serious health issues. The role of the family physician is very much significant in recommending the adaptation of suitable lifestyle. The family physician needs to recommend the patient to reduce the consumption of the red meat, which enhances the probability of diabetes mellitus, combat obesity, and cardiovascular disease. Moreover, the reduction of the carbon emission can prevent the disease formed in the human health due to global warming. Planting more trees will increase the number of greenery that can absorb the carbon in the environment and produce more oxygen.
In considering the health risk due to the climate change, it has been seen that majority of the people face the global risk of mortality. As per the report presented by WHO, the health practitioners indicated that almost 7.5 million people suffered from hypertension during the climate change and many of the people died due to such health issue. The climate change is associated with the food and water security problem, which affects the human health more specifically (McMichael, 2013). The scarcity of water affects the agriculture and human mortality. Moreover, the climate change directly affects the future population.
The governments of developed countries have been concentrating on the mitigation process that can reduce the risks related to the negative impacts of climate change. The adaptation related to the changing climate is specifying the implementation of a theoretical model
The government of developed countries like US is concentrating on the probable lifestyles required to be adopted to minimise the negative impacts of climate change. The universal service provisions can be one of the significant ways to improvise the lifestyles of the urbanised people. The vast form of the infrastructure requires the investments of a large amount of resources (Watts et al. 2015). Saving the resources for the future prospects is necessary in surviving during the climate changes. Power and energy saving are also much significant during the climate changing scenario.
During the manufacturing of the products, the wastages like carbon emissions, chemical particles are emitted in the environments. It is to be noted that the wasted polymer or polythene are taken as the pollutants in the environment (Covello & Merkhoher, 2013). On the other hand, the emitted carbons are harmful for the respiratory system of the human beings. The burning wastages emitted from the manufacturing place can pollute the air, which cause the hazardous incidents in the environment. Similarly, the hazardous wastages can even create the negative impacts on human health much prominently.
In determining the ethical concerns related to the elimination of the hazardous effects that are created due to the wastages emitted in the manufacturing process. In the year of 1987, The ‘Brundtland Commission’ presented one concept regarding the ethical concerns. It was stated, “Satisfying the needs of the present, without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs” (Oecd-nea.org, 2016). In maintaining the ethical standards, the ‘intergenerational equity’ is needed to be maintained while selecting the proper technological tools that can be utilized for the manufacturing purposes. These technologies can facilitate the manufacturing process by minimising the risks related to the health issues caused by the wastages. The second ethical concern is focusing on the “intra-generational equity”, which is concentrating on the resource allocations. The timely disposal of the wastages can minimise the health risks in the manufacturing company. Accordingly, the environmental health hazards can also be prevented.
The government of United States is concentrating on the hazardous situation that can harm the human lives more specifically during the energy producing activities. Therefore, the government has applied few of the regulations in order to prevent the risks related to the human health. In the year of 1955, the government of US introduced the Air Pollution Control Act, which signifies the utilization of the advanced technological tools (Davies & Mazurek, 2014). The use of such technical tools minimises the air pollutions during the manufacturing process. In the year of 1969, the emergence of National Environmental Policy Act determines the enhancements of the quality standards of the manufacturing process. If the industries can maintain the proper standards of manufacturing energy products, the wastages can be of minimal risks and ensure the limited proportion of risks (Anderson, 2013). Another regulation enacted upon the preventions of the health risks in the environment is termed as Occupational Safety and Health Act in 1970. As per this regulation, the people associated in the industrial manufacturing process need to take several precautions while producing the energy services (Friend & Kohn, 2014). The applied regulations are effective enough in minimising the health risks. Therefore, it can be stated that the role of the governmental regulations has been much significant in preventing the health risks formulated during the waste emissions of the manufacturing industries.
Conclusion
Burning fossil fuel can be one of the relevant methods of producing the energy services. In spite of having the advantages in producing the energy services, it includes the health risks more specifically. However, the evaluation of the proper ethical concerns can minimise the potential risks. In fact, the application of the regulatory aspects is also effective enough in reducing the risks more commendably.
References
Anderson, F. R. (2013). NEPA in the courts: a legal analysis of the National Environmental Policy Act. Routledge.
Covello, V. T., & Merkhoher, M. W. (2013). Risk assessment methods: approaches for assessing health and environmental risks. Springer Science & Business Media.
Davies, J. C., & Mazurek, J. (2014). Pollution Control in United States: Evaluating the System. Routledge.
Friend, M. A., & Kohn, J. P. (2014). Fundamentals of occupational safety and health. Bernan Press.
Haines, A., Ebi, K. L., Smith, K. R., & Woodward, A. (2014). Health risks of climate change: act now or pay later. The Lancet, 384(9948), 1073-1075.
McMichael, A. J. (2013). Globalization, climate change, and human health.New England Journal of Medicine, 368(14), 1335-1343.
Oecd-nea.org, (2016). The Environmental and Ethical Basis of Geological Disposal of Long-Lived Radioactive Wastes. [online] Available at: https://www.oecd-nea.org/rwm/reports/1995/geodisp/ethical-environmental-considerations.html [Accessed 27 Jan. 2016].
Smith, K. R., Frumkin, H., Balakrishnan, K., Butler, C. D., Chafe, Z. A., Fairlie, I., … & McMichael, A. J. (2013). Energy and human health. Annual Review of public health, 34, 159-188.
Twidell, J., & Weir, T. (2015). Renewable energy resources. Routledge.
Watts, N., Adger, W. N., Agnolucci, P., Blackstock, J., Byass, P., Cai, W., … & Cox, P. M. (2015). Health and climate change: policy responses to protect public health. The Lancet, 386(10006), 1861-1914.
York, R. (2012). Do alternative energy sources displace fossil fuels?. Nature Climate Change, 2(6), 441-443.
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