By Columbia Mailman School of Public Health

The Southwest and West face a second week of extreme temperatures that have already claimed more than a dozen lives. Approximately one in three Americans received excessive heat warnings, watches or advisories last weekend, according to the National Weather Service. Globally, July was the hottest month on record, pushing the world closer to the critical 1.5-degree Celsius temperature rise threshold, the most optimistic target for limiting global warming.

Meanwhile, Canadian wildfires, preceded by doubts, continue to create smoke that carries thousands of miles, triggering air quality warmings and unhealthy conditions across wide swaths of the United States, reaching as far south as Miami, and communities across New England and the Northeast struggled to recover from recent powerful storms and flash flooding.

Environmental health scientists from Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health—home to the country’s first climate and health program in a school of public health—are working to study and address these challenges, both through original research and teaching front-line health workers and the next generation of public health leaders.

“There is no doubt that extreme weather and wildfires are happening with greater frequency because of climate change,” says Cecilia Sorensen, an emergency medicine physician and associate professor of environmental health sciences at Columbia Mailman School. Studies show that climate change has led to a 50 percent increase in the acreage burned. “We are especially concerned with vulnerable groups, including individuals with preexisting respiratory and cardiovascular conditions, the elderly, small children, and infants, people without stable housing, and those who work outside.”

Sorensen points to a slate of health risks from extreme weather. Exposure to wildfire smoke is dangerous for people with asthma and other respiratory conditions and prolonged time spent outdoors is a risk to everyone. High temperatures are most dangerous to the same vulnerable groups, including the elderly and those who work and live outside. Stormy weather introduces the risk of injury, such as from landslides and downed powerlines, and creates a breeding ground for mosquitoes and other infectious disease vectors. All these stressors disrupt lives and have a negative impact on mental health—as can the larger anxiety about climate change.

In situations of extreme weather, individuals should seek out guidance from their local authorities on cooling centers, road closures, masking guidance, and more. Air quality information is available online(link is external and opens in a new window) and offers a general framework for how safe it is to be outdoors. Sorensen adds her own advice: “Check in on your loved ones. Often our most valuable front-line responders are friends and family,” she says.

Sorensen leads the Global Consortium on Climate and Health Education (GCCHE), which is based at Columbia Mailman. With 310 medical, nursing, public health, and other health professions schools as members, GCCHE develops curricula and conducts trainings on climate and health around the world. She is a member of the Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change(link is external and opens in a new window) and serves on the National Academy of Medicine Action Collaborative for Decarbonization of the U.S. Health Sector(link is external and opens in a new window). She is the co-editor of the textbook Climate Change and Human Health: From Science to Practice.

In its trainings, GCCHE focuses on ways communities can protect themselves and build resiliency. These include early warning systems for extreme weather, rain gardens and other methods to mitigate flooding, cooling centers, and more.

Informing these trainings is research by Sorensen and other Columbia Mailman faculty scientists, including Darby Jack, Marianthi-Anna Kioumourtzoglou, Robbie Parks, Jeff Shaman, Lew Ziska, and others. These studies have linked elevated temperatures to injury deaths(link is external and opens in a new window), wildfire smoke to jump in ICU admissions(link is external and opens in a new window), tropical cyclones to elevated hospitalizations(link is external and opens in a new window) and death rates, including the specific illnesses involved(link is external and opens in a new window) and special risks to older adults(link is external and opens in a new window). They have also examined the effects of heat stress on kidney function of agricultural workers(link is external and opens in a new window), as well as the broader impacts of climate change on women’s health(link is external and opens in a new window) and on food security. Meanwhile, research continues to demonstrate the negative health impacts of the main driver of climate change—air pollution from fossil fuel combustion.

“Climate changing is stressing all of society, especially the most vulnerable,” says Sorensen. “It’s critical that we come together to protect ourselves as extreme weather becomes the new normal. At the same time, we need to push for a speedy transition to a green economy.”

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SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. (AP) — Ash rained down on Lake Tahoe on Tuesday and thick yellow smoke blotted out views of the mountains rimming its pristine blue waters as a massive wildfire threatened the alpine vacation spot on the California-Nevada state line.

Tourists ducked into cafes, outdoor gear shops and casinos on Lake Tahoe Boulevard for a respite from hazardous air coming from an erratic blaze less than 20 miles (32 kilometers) away.

The Caldor Fire erupted over the course of a week into the nation’s No. 1 firefighting priority and was “knocking on the door” of Tahoe, said Thom Porter, California’s state fire chief. A major wildfire has not penetrated the Lake Tahoe Basin since 2007.

Tourists typically come to swim and hike, relax along the lake’s calm shores or take their chances gambling, not risk their lives in the face of a potential disaster.

Although there were no evacuations ordered and Porter said he didn’t think the fire would reach the lake, it was impossible to ignore the blanket of haze so thick and vast that it closed schools for a second day in Reno, Nevada, which is about 60 miles (100 kilometers) from the fire.

Visitors wore masks outdoors — not because the coronavirus pandemic, but because of the toxic air and inescapable stench of fire. The gondola that ferries summer passengers to the summit of the Heavenly Mountain ski area was closed until winter due to the wildfire risk.

Cindy Osterloh, whose husband pushed a relative in a wheelchair beneath the idled cables, said she and family members visiting from San Diego were all on allergy medications to take the sting out of their eyes and keep their noses from running so they can ride out the smoke for the rest of their vacation.

“We got up and it was a lot clearer this morning. We went for a walk and then we came back and now it’s coming in again,” she said of the smoke. “We’re going to go and see a movie and hopefully it clears up enough that we can go do our boat rides.”

An army of firefighters worked to contain the blaze, which has spread explosively in a manner witnessed in the past two years during extreme drought. Climate change has made the West warmer and drier in the past 30 years and will continue to make the weather more extreme and wildfires more destructive, according to scientists.

Massive plumes have erupted in flames, burning embers carried by gusts have skipped miles ahead of fire lines, and fires that typically die down at night have made long runs in the dark.

The fire had scorched about 184 square miles (476 square kilometers) and destroyed at least 455 homes since Aug. 14 in the Sierra Nevada southwest of Lake Tahoe. It was 9% contained and threatened more than 17,000 structures.

Nationally, 92 large fires were burning in a dozen states, according to the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, Idaho. Although many fires are larger, the Caldor Fire has become the top priority to keep it from sweeping into the Tahoe.

As the fire grew last week, politicians, environmentalists, and policy makers gathered on the shore for the 25th annual Lake Tahoe Summit dedicated to protecting the lake and the pine-covered mountains that surround it.

With the Caldor Fire burning to the southwest and the Dixie Fire, the second-largest in state history with a 500-mile (804 kilometer) perimeter, burning about 65 miles (104 kilometers) to the north, the risk to the lake was top of mind.

“The fires that are raging all around us nearby are screaming this warning: Tahoe could be next,” said Rep. Tom McClintock, R-Calif.

The last major blaze in the area took South Lake Tahoe by surprise after blowing up from an illegal campfire in the summer of 2007. The Angora Fire burned less than 5 square miles (13 square kilometers) but destroyed 254 homes, injured three people and forced 2,000 people to flee.

Scars from the fire can still be seen not far from the commercial strip where South Lake Tahoe meets the Nevada border in Stateline, where tourists go to gamble.

Inside the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, cocktail waitresses in fishnet stockings and leopard-print corsets served customers playing slots and blackjack who said they weren’t overly concerned about the fire.

Sitting at a slot machine near a window looking out at cars driving through the haze on Lake Tahoe Boulevard, Ramona Trejo said she and her husband would stay for their 50th wedding anniversary, as planned.

Trejo, who uses supplemental oxygen due to respiratory problems, said her husband wanted to keep gambling.

“I would want to go now,” she said.

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“Residents in the San Gorgonio Pass and western Riverside County need to be aware of the risks of breathing unhealthy air and take steps to keep safe,” said Dr. Cameron Kaiser, Riverside County public health officer.

The smoke and ash advisory has been issued effective today (Sept. 8) until further notice.

While fires are burning throughout California, the nearest blaze, The 10,500-plus-acre El Dorado fire, has directly impacted Riverside County, sending smoke and ash into the area and causing some evacuations near Cherry Valley after igniting in Yucaipa. Predictions of Santa Ana winds have fire officials concerned the fire could continue to grow.

Kaiser recommends that those who live in areas impacted by smoke and ash should avoid strenuous activity, remain indoors with the air-conditioning on and windows and doors closed. Also, keep the indoor air fresh with a clean filtering system to prevent from bringing smoke inside.

Wildfire smoke can cause a range of health issues, which include burning eyes, runny nose, shortness of breath, scratchy throat, headaches and chest pains. Smoke can also worsen chronic heart and lung disease.

Officials also stress the importance of following evacuation instructions for the safety of all residents living in potential evacuation areas. Safety steps have been taken to protect residents and workers at all evacuation locations.

“We have taken a number of precautions to ensure everyone is safe while they are evacuated,” said Bruce Barton, director of the County of Riverside Emergency Management Department. “In addition to sheltering away from smoke, we implemented expanded precautions to ensure evacuated residents are protected from COVID-19 with screening, physical distancing, sanitation stations and a number of other safety measures.”

Residents can visit https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7148/ for the most current information on the El Dorado Fire, and sign up for emergency alerts at www.RivCoReady.org/AlertRivCo.

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From private companies to public, there are numerous ones out there to look at and consider.  Investment managers have built portfolios of cannabis companies that are stated to expand diversification and reduce risks.  Sectors of the economy expanding into Cannabis include medical, food and beverage, tobacco, security, transportation, processing, automation, real estate, chemical and fertilizer, and manufacturing. A new world has opened up and embraced Cannabis as a multi-billion-dollar industry to start. 

An investor can directly invest in a cannabis company that cultivates, manufactures, and sells its wares.  Another option is to indirectly invest in the industry through companies that support cannabis producers.  Mentioned earlier, this could be new plastic bags, or the RFID used to track-and-trace that states require.  There is a hub of businesses that are in the business but not in the business.  When building a position or selecting a company to invest in it is important to understand that you may already have exposure through an existing position.  For example, Constellation Brands (STZ), an alcohol company with operations worldwide that produces brands like Corona, Modelo, and Ballast Point, is in the business.  Constellation owns 38% of Canopy Growth, a Canadian Pot Producer.  The same is true for many companies.  It is hard for them not to push into a new high growth area.  After all there are two congressional bills moving through the Hill right now to allow cannabis companies to bank with FDIC institutions and to move it from a Class 1 to a Class 3 drug.  With the illegal becoming legal, a new opportunity has arisen and isn’t likely to go up in smoke.

Take GW Pharmaceuticals (GWPH), a British company known for its multiple sclerosis treatment product Nabiximols, which was the first natural cannabis plant derivative to gain market approval in every country, even ours.  Their latest drug treats pediatric seizures.  Breakthroughs are happening in every facet.   The key is to not jump into any company before you understand what you are buying their price movements. 

Concerns about the cost of cannabis and related products and where it is headed is a risk.  The cost will most likely be driven down and so may be margins as larger producers and market efficiencies occur.  This will force consolidations in the industry and sharp barriers to entry too.  What I have noticed is there is substantial volatility in pricing of these companies.  By being patient, you can pick up what you wish to buy on the dip and you shouldn’t have to wait long to get the opportunity. 

Pot’s passé and Cannabis is open for business.

Andrew F. Kotyuk, CIMA* is CEO and Principal of Alpha Wealth Management LLC

For questions or investment topics, please email me afkotyuk@alpha-wealth.com.

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