NURS 6050 Week 11 Global Healthcare Comparison Matrix and Narrative Statement
Global health focuses on the health of the population in the global context, addressing issues that affect the entire world. No nation can exist in isolation, making global health everyone’s responsibility. This paper will discuss a global health issue, air pollution and climate change, and its impact on the United States and China. It will also analyze the healthcare policies in these countries, including their strengths and weaknesses, and examine how social determinants of health influence these policies.
Global Health Comparison Grid
Global Healthcare Issue: Air Pollution and Climate Change Description: Air pollution and climate change pose a significant health threat worldwide. Nine out of ten people breathe polluted air daily (WHO, 2019). Human activities contribute to the depletion of the ozone layer, leading to increased ground-level ozone and particulate matter air pollution (CDC, n.d). The World Health Organization (WHO) has identified air pollution as the greatest environmental health risk (2019).
Describe the policy in each country related to the identified healthcare issue:
In the United States, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has issued two findings that are necessary for regulating greenhouse gas emissions. The Clean Air Act (CAA), enacted by the federal government, regulates air emissions from stationary and mobile sources (EPA, n.d). The CAA authorizes the EPA to establish National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) to control air quality and prevent hazardous air pollutants.
Describe the policy in each country related to the identified healthcare issue:
China, being the largest greenhouse gas emitter, has taken significant steps to combat air pollution and climate change. The country has launched a national carbon market to reduce carbon emissions, covering about 7,000 companies in eight industrial sectors (EDF, n.d). Under Article 6 of the 2015 Paris Agreement, China contributes to global emission reduction between 2020 and 2035 by paying for carbon emission reductions in other countries.
What are the strengths of this policy?
In the United States, the EPA ensures compliance with the NAAQS program to protect air quality. The agency enforces pollution control guidelines for factories, industrial boilers, and power plants. The EPA’s National Compliance Initiatives (NCIs) enforce the NAAQS to protect clean and safe water, reduce air pollution, and promote safe and healthy land (EPA, n.d).
China has implemented a New Energy Vehicle (NEV) credit system that regulates automakers’ fuel consumption. This policy has helped reduce particulate matter and sulfur dioxide emissions (Library of Congress, n.d). By adopting clean and renewable energy sources like solar and wind power, China has reduced reliance on fossil fuels, benefiting both air quality and public health.
What are the weaknesses of this policy?
One weakness of the EPA’s policy is the three-year gap between national enforcement initiatives. Air pollution and climate change are ongoing problems that require more frequent and stricter enforcement measures.
While China’s carbon market policy has reduced particulate matter and sulfur dioxide emissions, the concentration of ozone has increased due to emissions from industrial sectors like power plants and chemical factories. Additionally, the policy primarily benefits industrialized countries and lacks technology transfer and intellectual property sharing with developing countries (Library of Congress, n.d).
Explain how the social determinants of health may impact the specified global health issue. The depletion of the ozone layer and poor air quality result from various social determinants of health. Human behavior, environmental factors, and physical influences contribute to the depletion of the ozone layer and air pollution. Activities like burning fossil fuels, industrial emissions.
