The Impact of Global Warming on HealthBy: Momina

Introduction

What is the cause of Global warming?

What are the consequences of Global Warming

What is climate change and what are its affects??

The Counter Argument

What is Global warming?

What is Global Warming?Global warming is the trapping of greenhouse gases in the earths atmosphere. This in turn affects biodiversity. Whenever someone says global warming the following things just flash into our minds:

Melting GlaciersRising Sea Levels

Higher Average Temperatures

Migration of Animals

Increased Precipitation

Have you ever thought of the affect global warming has on human health?

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What are the cause of Global Warming

First you need to understand what the greenhouse effect is. The green house effect is when the green house gases (which include carbon dioxide, water vapour, methane and ozone and nitrous oxide) hold the heat in the atmosphere. The purpose the greenhouse effect is keep the Earth warm.

So what’s happening now?

There is an abnormal increase in greenhouse gases. This abnormal increase is because of human activities such as:• burning solid waste and wood• burning fossil fuels like oil, natural gas, and coal• deforestation• release of hydroflourocarbons What the above activities are doing is that the they trap more than normal heat in the atmosphere which causes global warming.

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What is climate change?

Climate change has the following affects:1. Warming temperatures increases smog pollution2. Deaths from heat related illnesses increase3. Patterns of diseases have also begun changing4. Increase in temperatures will cause water shortages. This could harm crop

production; diminishing food variety, nutritional content and availability.5. Warmer air holds more moisture. This means that it is more likely to pour which

increases the risk of flooding.

What is smog pollution?

Carbon pollution is causing climate change that drives dangerous heat waves and worsens smog pollution. This causes asthma attacks and other serious respiratory illnesses.

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Smog Pollution

High air temperatures increase the ozone concentration at ground level. The natural ozone layer in the upper

atmosphere protects the earth from the sun’s harmful ultraviolet radiation; but at ground level ozone becomes a

harmful pollutant that damages lung tissue and aggravates asthma and other breathing diseases. Even in healthy

individuals exposure to modest levels of ozone can cause nausea, chest pain and pulmonary congestion.

Worsening Air Pollution

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What are the consequences of Global Warming

More illnesses and death resulting from heat waves

Worsening air pollution

Increase in vector-borne disease

Changing food production

More severe and frequent wildfires

Flooding

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Heat Waves

What is a heat wave?A heat wave is a prolonged period of excessively hot weather, which may be accompanied by high humidity.

Increasing severity of the heat waves will lead to more heat stroke and other heat-related illnesses and death.

Evidence: In the summer of 2003 there was a heat wave in Europe that claimed about 35,000 lives.In the summer of 2007 Greece suffered a massive heat wave and had record wildfires. In the USA, heat waves account for more deaths than hurricanes, tornadoes, floods and earthquakes combined.

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Worsening Air Pollution

As air pollution worsens there will be an increase in the number of respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. This includes asthma and cardiac dysrhythmia. Air pollution worsens as a result of smog pollution.Increase in temperature raises levels of ozone and other pollutants. This increase of greenhouse gases exacerbates cardiovascular and respiratory disease.

Evidence: In 2010, the American Lung Association estimated that about 23 million Americans suffer from asthma.

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Vector-borne disease infections

Increase in heat, precipitation and humidity allows tropical and subtropical insects to move from regions where infectious diseases thrive into new places.As temperature increases and rainfall patterns change, and summers become longer, the insects can remain active for longer seasons and in wider areas, greatly increasing the risk for the people who live there.

The following are examples of them:1. Dengue Fever: this is characterized by high fever, headaches, bone and joint aches,

and a rash. 2. Lyme Disease: this is transmitted primarily through bites from certain tick species.

As temperatures warm, ticks are able to move into new regions.3. West Nile Virus: it spread rapidly westward across the country. The warmer

temperatures, high rainfall and high humidity have increased the rate of human infection.

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Changing Food ProductionThe increasing temperatures affects the stable crop production and food security. This can be beneficial as well as damaging to the economy of different countries. For example, people who live in poor countries will have a decrease in their crop production. However in Canada, they maybe able to expand their arable land.The prices of wheat, rice and other staples rise rapidly. Also more severe weather, like monsoons or hurricanes, can destroy and leave entire communities without food.

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More severe and frequent wildfires

Severe heat increases the frequency of wildfire. This threatens homes, lives and livelihoods and cause poor air

quality.

Evidence: The wildfire in California displaced more than 1 million people

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Flooding

Flooding is often a result of rising sea levels. Often areas that are near the river deltas and coastal cities are susceptible to flooding.

Evidence: 7 million people were displaced by flooding in Dhaka, Bangladesh and a flood in 2004 in the same area killed 700 people.

So what happens as a result of flood displacement?

• increased transmission of water-borne disease from stagnant water

• challenge of feeding and sheltering the displaced• sewage backup and squalid (extremely dirty and

unpleasant) conditions • strained disaster relief resources

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The Other Side of the ArguementThere are some people who believe that global warming is a convenient scapegoat (something that is punished for the errors of others) for putting the blame on increasing incidence of infectious diseases. They believe that the following may be possible reasons:• increasing disregard for public health practices • Overcrowding of cities• Rise in population of vectors such as mosquitoes and ticks- due to

inadequate control measures • Increased international travel by people that can take virus across the

hemisphere• Genetic mutation in bacteria and viruses

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