June 23, 2021 | Originally published in Times-Enterprise
By: Linda I. Walden, M.D., FAAFP
Here in the Southeast, natural gas is a fossil fuel that provides electricity for our homes and business. We use it daily throughout our homes in winter, cooking our food with gas stoves and powering our air conditioners in the summer. It fact, natural gas accounts for 46% of our electricity in Georgia, compared to the national average of 34%. It affects the air we breathe, the water we drink and the food we eat.
As a physician, I know the environment is of vital importance in improving the health of my patients. Switching from fossil gas to clean energy sources is necessary when it comes to protecting our health. We need all of our physicians and other health care providers to inform their patients about the necessity to have clean energy. Many rural communities in Georgia get their electricity from natural gas provided by rural electric co-ops serving 4.4 million people and burning natural gas and other fossil fuels can be harmful to our health…. READ THE FULL ARTICLE>
Linda I. Walden, M.D., FAAFP is a family physician in Cair, a founding /steering committee member of the Georgia Clinicians for Climate Action and member of the Medical Society Consortium for Climate and Health.
The views of the author do not necessarily reflect those of the Medical Society Consortium on Climate and Health or its members.