Public Health and Methane Gas Plants

Join Healthy Climate Wisconsin, the Wisconsin Environmental Health Network, and the Physicians for Social Responsibility Wisconsin for one exciting CE Power Hour as Jonathan Buonocore, ScD, presents, “Health Impacts of Energy Systems – Consequences of Methane Gas Infrastructure in Wisconsin" and Brittany Keyes, DPT, follows with, "Community Health and Methane Gas Plants:  Reaction versus Prevention.” 

Jonathan Buonocore, ScD, is an assistant professor at Boston University School of Public Health and focuses his research on evaluating the health impacts of energy systems while modeling health co-benefits of climate mitigation strategies and energy policies. The learning objectives for this section of the course are to:

1. Understand basic methods of risk assessment, exposure assessment, life cycle assessment, and health impact assessment as they apply to methane gas energy systems.
2. Become familiar with recent research on health impacts of methane gas.
3. Apply hazard assessment to understand emerging hazards from oil and methane gas.

Brittany Keyes, DPT, is a physical therapist, now working with Healthy Climate Wisconsin as the Clean Air Coordinator. While a Beloit city council member, she coordinated putting in PurpleAir monitors in Beloit, Wisconsin, showing Beloit is the most polluted regional city in the US (2023 World Air Quality Report).

1. Identify gaps in current regulatory air monitoring networks.
2. Appreciate public health trends associated with elevated levels of air pollution.
3. Become familiar with climate justice tools and discuss the cumulative impacts of environmental exposures.
4. Become familiar with tools to access local air pollution readings.
5. Discuss opportunities to engage communities and advocate for patients outside of the clinic.