Elaine Loft
Two Manchester physicians came to Derryfield on December 1 to discuss the health impacts of climate change with middle and upper school students. Dr. Deborah Gerson, a pathologist at Catholic Medical Center, is the parent of Erica Gerson ‘25. Dr. Robert Dewey, parent of Sara ‘03 and Kate ‘05, is a cardiologist at Catholic Medical Center. Both doctors are on the board of directors of the New Hampshire Healthcare Workers for Climate Action (NHHWCA). The mission of NHHWCA is to “increase public awareness of the links between health and climate change (and)…to educate and mobilize the public in support of climate solutions to improve health for all.”
Drs. Gerson and Dewey began their presentations with a brief background on the science of climate change. Next they discussed the health impacts of climate change, citing articles from the New England Journal of Medicine regarding the increase in vector borne diseases and heat-related deaths. The presentations concluded on a positive note, offering solutions and actions the students could take to combat climate change.
At the end of the upper school assembly, the students split into grades 9/10 and 11/12 advisory groups for follow up discussions. These discussions were led by Environmental Science and Honors World Politics Students. The break-out groups were asked to consider a series of questions that had been prepared by the discussion leaders.
How have you observed climate change in your life?
What impacts from climate change might our broader (Manchester) community face?
What action can we take to reduce climate change and minimize the impacts?
What can you do in your personal life? What are you already doing?
What can we do at Derryfield? What are we already doing?
What can we do for our broader community?
The students also used the ecological footprint calculator in order to inform ideas for climate solutions.
