It is no secret that climate change is the biggest public health threat of the 21st century – but what may be a secret are the efforts of our health centres and professionals to combat that threat.

Since its 2008 opening, the Oxford Street Health Centre has continuously expanded its services. This multi-service complex in Port-of-Spain provides primary healthcare for a population of some 30,000 from St Ann’s/Cascade in the north to Laventille Road in the south.

Currently, 28 staff members provide primary care services for 1,000 patients monthly. The self-motivated, innovative staff collaboratively developed The Think Green Team with our NGO, EarthMedic & EarthNurse Foundation for Planetary Health, in an effort to fight climate change. Members weren’t fazed by limited space in their mostly concrete facility and got creative, planting crops of lettuce, kale, cabbage and ginger, using water bottles, a wooden pallet, metal drums and a non-functioning refrigerator. Later additions included corn, fever grass, soursop and vervine, this time planted in the compound’s limited soil.

Out-of-the-box thinking was essential to making the Think Green Project work, and so the team didn’t stop at a garden. With innovation in mind, our NGO used monthly educational sessions as a teaching tool. Though the lunch break was only an hour, this time was ideal for discussion, brainstorming and sharing, particularly concerning adaptation and mitigation strategies to combat the climate crisis.

‘Adaptation’, a term commonly used by climate scientists, refers to changing what is being done or doing new things to minimise the negative impacts of climate change. Everyone in T&T can relate to flooding. Dedicated and committed healthcare providers have had climate change-fuelled problems like flooding directly affecting their ability to do their jobs. One of the senior nurses living in Sangre Grande, 50 kilometres from the capital, shared that her commute could be six hours on days with heavy rainfall.

Climate change results in more extreme rainfall, and therefore flooding, but is that the whole story? An employee living in Maraval was eager to share his views. Rampant deforestation in watershed areas with widespread construction of housing developments leads to landslides and flooding. Tree roots hold soil together, so cutting down forests in these watershed areas for new housing developments destroys natural protections against flooding. Installation of wide guttering to handle heavier rainfall can help to reduce flooding overall, but government intervention through appropriate enforcement of pre-existing Town and Country policies is critical.

As citizens, it is our responsibility to hold State agencies accountable. Frequent dredging of rivers and legislation to prevent dumping of rubbish into waterways is, again, crucial. Furthermore, in Maraval, there are no available community bins for recycling, contributing to pollution. Outside of Maraval, “greening” of Port-of-Spain, along with urban development, will both improve drainage and decrease the “heat island” effect contributing to a hotter city.

Another concept that sparked much discussion was ‘Mitigation’, meaning anything that decreases the quantity of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. To do this, either we put less carbon into the atmosphere or remove the carbon that is already there. The importance of plants as carbon-sinks was promoted, as plants absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, just as humans breathe oxygen.

Several stories were shared, for example, a grandfather growing fruit trees and vegetables in nearby Belmont, a stone’s throw away from the clinic! The maxim “Grow what you eat and eat what you grow” makes good sense after all. Bring back the ‘ole time days’: flowering plants, herbs and plants for medicinal purposes.

It is important to highlight one’s individual contribution to the carbon footprint. Using electrical appliances contributes to carbon emissions, so turning off lights and air-conditioning when not in use should become a habit. The benefits of using renewable energy were appreciated; however, the cost was a common concern.

Team members were passionate, eloquent and explicit about their daily realities.

“An efficient bus service would ensure that we get to work on time, have greater time for productivity, and spend less time in traffic, while simultaneously decreasing the carbon footprint.”

However, there will be no policy change unless there is data to support the current reality. To monitor shifts in disease patterns, digitalisation is key, and the health sector needs to be given priority. We are seeing more late-stage cancers, so it is important to note any possible correlation with climate change.

At the clinic, a Think Green banner display reminds all to Grow, Eat, Feel, Live and Think Green. This vibrant, innovative community is adamant about tackling the climate crisis by adopting new behaviours and encouraging others to do so, advocating for policy change and providing evidence through data collection.

We hope we can serve as a model for other communities.

 

Dr Paula Henry
Associate of Earthmedic and EarthNurse Foundation for Planetary Health