No running away from it, climate change is a major issue for many countries – and that includes The Bahamas.

The good thing is the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO)/World Health Organization’s (WHO) hosting a week of action on climate change and health to bring awareness to such issues.

Health Minister, Dr. Duane Sands stressed the importance of Bahamians taking both seriously. 

“We bear the brunt of the impact of climate change,” he said.

“As those glaciers melt, we watch water tables rise, and given the fact that most of our land mass is less than 10 ft above sea level, pretty soon if this continues we will exist no more.

“But in the meantime, there’s an impact on food, there’s an impact on mosquito populations, there’s an impact on water borne diseases, there’s an impact on increasing temperatures, on stroke and heart attacks.

“Bahamians like to believe that we’re immune to the sun, and that we’re immune to heat, not so.

“So, as it gets hot and people get dehydrated, we see more of our elderly people falling victims to heat prostration, stroke and heart attack, so this is a very, very serious thing,” said Dr. Sands.