Climate and Health Stories: John Olson

Meet John Olson.

John is a business process and policy specialist with our Environmental Health (EH) Operations Center.

What most excites you about your work?

John: I particularly enjoy working with individuals and programs across the agency to help them understand and improve the work they do to execute the agency’s mission.

How is your program preparing for and/or responding to climate changes in Minnesota?

John: Part of my role in the EH Operations Center involves preparing the division for large scale emergencies, some likely to increase due to climate change, like floods and wildfires.

Why do you think it’s important for MDH to be working on this issue?

John: Climate change is the critical issue of our time—affecting virtually every aspect of life as we know it. The consensus among public health experts is that climate change poses significant population-level health threats, making it priority work for public health agencies.

How has climate change impacted your life personally?

John: It is difficult to attribute any particular weather event or even any specific season’s weather to climate change. However, in my half-century of life, as the weather has gotten warmer and more unpredictable with radical swings and extremes, I’ve experienced a growing sense of unease, loss and disappointment in humanity. This catastrophe need not have happened, or could have been significantly minimized if significant action is taken soon.

How has integrating climate change into your work allowed you to collaborate with programs you normally wouldn’t?

John: Incorporating climate change into my work has allowed me a number of unique opportunities. I’ve served on the MDH Minnesota Climate and Health Workgroup (PDF) with staff from across the agency and also on a climate and health adaptation committee with external partners. Attending related state and national conferences has expanded my knowledge of the problem and measures that others are taking to adapt and mitigate will help inform my efforts working on behalf of the State’s residents.

What do you think are the biggest opportunities for climate and health moving forward?

John: Addressing the causes and symptoms of climate change will lead to significantly positive changes in the way that we live. The co-benefits of climate change mitigation and adaptation actions will include cleaner water and air, more natural spaces and a more active population.