In 1981, less than a month after evidence of global warming was first reported front pagefemale The New York Times asked BF Skinner about the fate of humanity. The famous psychologist recently argued that one feature of the human mind will almost certainly lead to a global environmental disaster. “Why don't we act to save our world?” asked Skinner, citing numerous threats to the planet.
His answer: Human behavior is driven almost entirely by our experiences—specifically, which actions have been rewarded or punished in the past. The future that has not yet happened will never have such an influence on what we do; today we will seek familiar rewards—money, comfort, security, joy, power—even if doing so threatens everyone on the planet tomorrow.
Skinner was one of the most influential thinkers of the 20th century, yet he is rarely credited for issuing warnings that predicted the behavior of fossil fuel executives and politicians in the future. the next four decades. I struggled with it often. I'm a pediatrician in Reno, Nevada, fastest warming city in America. I look into the eyes of babies, children and teenagers every day. Skinner argues that only when the consequences of environmental destruction shift from “tomorrow” to “today” will our choices change. I believe that by 2025, the harmful effects on children will become so clear and direct that parents – the sleeping giants in the fight against climate change – will wake up to the What the fossil fuel industry has caused.
For example, over the past decade, my city has been plunged into darkness longer than ever before due to wildfire smoke from California; 65 million Americans, most of the West, is currently experiencing such “smoke crises”. Everyone understands that smoke causes respiratory problems; We all cough and wheeze when the air gets dangerous for weeks on end. Few people understand that children are at increased risk of these events for a variety of reasons, mainly related to different physiology, small size, and immature organs—because they are still developing, vulnerable to environmental damage. Children's lungsfor example, are literally shaped by the quality of the air they breathe. Children who regularly inhale particulate pollution — such as those living in the most polluted areas of Los Angeles — tend to develop smaller and stiffer lungs.
In 2025, the media will realize that the harm from these tiny pollutants is even more profound. That's because a growing body of scientific research shows that fine and ultrafine particles, often associated with toxic chemicals and heavy metals in wildfire smoke and emissions, are causing brain damage in children. . What's alarming is that they appear to be contributing to the rise in autism and autism. Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), as well as increased rates of learning disabilities, and behavioral problems later in life memory loss.
Why? Because these microscopic pollutants don't stop in the lungs; they enter the bloodstream and invade other organs, including the brain—which, like the lungs, is still growing and developing in children, and is therefore more susceptible to damage.
Evidence for the neurological effects of particles comes from brain imaging, histology, and epidemiology. We know that even before birth, Pregnant women inhale particles can cross the placenta and harm the fetus; MRI studies in several countries have shown Brain structure is changed In children exposed before birth, many struggle with cognition and behavior. After birth, particles can also enter the prefrontal cortex – the part of the brain behind the forehead – after being inhaled through the nose. When scientists study the brains of children and adolescents in Mexico Cityknown for its polluted air, they found fossil fuel particles, encased in Alzheimer's disease-like plaques, embedded in the prefrontal cortex.
Evidence of an association with autism and ADHD has emerged from more than a decade of epidemiological research around the world. in one researched for many years For example, among nearly 300,000 children in Southern California, prenatal exposure to PM2.5 (the smallest particles regulated by law) was found to significantly increase autism rates. And a recent study on more 164,000 children in China found that long-term exposure to fine particles increases the risk of ADHD. Although autism and ADHD are complex disorders with multiple causes both genetic and environmental, it is increasingly clear that air pollution—caused and exacerbated by fossil fuels due to climate change—is a significant risk factor.