Effects of Climate Change on Human Health
Effects of Climate Change on Human Health
Jim Woo
I am sure that everyone has heard about climate change or global warming and its negative effects on our world. However, most people are not aware of the specifics. What exactly is climate change and how is it specifically affecting human health? According to Jay H. Withgott, the definition of climate change is “systematic change in aspects of Earth’s climate, such as temperature, precipitation, and storm intensity...refers today to the current warming trend in global temperatures and Effects of Climate Change on Human Health
the many associated climatic changes.” Essentially, climate change means that rising temperature trends will induce changes in Earth’s climate, leading to extreme weather such as droughts, storms, and wildfires.
While it is true that warm weather decreases some health risks caused by cold weather, the health threats caused by warm weather outweigh those benefits. Common health hazards of warmer weather include respiratory diseases from air pollution due to the increase of photochemical smog, the spread of tropical diseases toward the poles, sanitation problems and drowning from storms, and heat waves. Sunlight-driven reactions between primary pollutants from automobile exhaust and atmospheric molecules create photochemical smog. It can not only cause serious respiratory problems such as asthma but can also lead to cancer. Tropical diseases like malaria that previously only existed in hot tropical regions are now increasing in prevalence in temperate climate areas due to temperature rises. As storms and floods disrupt the sewage system, there is an increased risk for diseases and sanitation problems. This is only a small window into the harmful effects of climate change on our lives.
Due to these snowballing effects of climate change, the scientific community and the media have raised concerns about the exponentially growing trends of global warming. The probability of more intense, frequent heat waves and precipitation has reached over 90%, and the probability of more extreme tropical cyclones, droughts, and high sea levels is over 66%. As a result, the need for climate change to be “framed as a public health concern” should be stressed (Luber et al.,2016). Another study discusses the dangers of these unexpected disasters and how they make it more difficult to predict food crises. Heat waves and droughts induce famine and lead to food insecurity problems. The increase in land degradation means less land for farming crops. Food production and nutrition decrease, restricting access to food for low-income populations. Furthermore, unusual precipitation after a long drought can result in an increase of pathogens, causing disease outbreaks (Wu et al., 2016). Since their bodies are less developed or weakened, children and elders are more susceptible to new illnesses brought by climate change (Schreiber, 2019).
Now that we have talked about the problems, how do we try to mitigate those effects? The most effective way is to use energy efficiently by using eco-friendly products or by reducing consumption to eliminate water and food waste. Also, using public transportation and riding bikes help reduce emissions of nitrous oxide, a greenhouse gas with 300 times the heat-trapping ability of CO2. Finally, we should support and join movements that aim to meet the 1.5℃ cap on global warming (Suzuki Foundation, 2019).
Although climate change will not directly affect the majority of Americans for the next 30 years, low-income communities who spend a significant amount of their income on food will be greatly affected. Sustainable Earth is what we together should work toward in the present moment - not merely hand over the responsibility to future generations or other communities. This does not only apply to sustainability. It also applies to public health areas that ECHO aims to address in our local community.