Climate Change Causing an Up-Tick of Pests

Summer is already in full swing and everyone is trying to get time outside to enjoy it to the fullest. But with summer comes pests like mosquitoes and ticks. As someone who had lyme disease as a result of a tick bite, I know this is not something any of us can afford to ignore.

Unfortunately climate change is already making problems like mosquitoes and ticks worse. Both need warm, moist environments to thrive. With climate change turning up the heat, more areas of the country will be hospitable to mosquitos and ticks during the summer time. Worse still, as climate change makes warmer temperatures last for longer periods of the year, these pests are not dying off as much in some parts of the country and are experiencing longer breeding seasons in others. While there are simple steps to combat them like bug spray, citronella oil, or wearing longer socks and pants to keep from getting bit, these are Band-Aid solutions at best.

In order to make real progress on this problem, we need to be tackling the source — climate change itself. We need politicians to take action at the local, state, and federal level to combat climate change. We need to incentivize investments in renewable technologies like wind and solar or more fuel-efficient cars to help solve climate change.

These programs are a great start, but there is more that we can and should be doing to address carbon emissions. By showing up at town halls or calling your representatives, we can let them know that they should be prioritizing these projects to not only lower emissions, but also have other upsides like making electricity cheaper in the process. Reach out to your representatives and demand action on climate change today.