Negative Effects Of Climate Change On The Environment

Negative Effects Of Climate Change On The Environment – Maureen Lichtveld does not work for, consult with, own stock in, or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant relationships outside of their academic appointments.

Will we have enough food for the growing world population? How will we care for more people during the next pandemic? What will the heat do to the millions with hypertension? Will countries start water wars due to increasing drought?

Negative Effects Of Climate Change On The Environment

All of these risks share three common features: health, climate change, and population growth, which the UN estimates will exceed 8 billion people in November 2022—double what it was just 48 years ago.

Nature Based Solutions

In my 40-year career, first in the Amazon rainforest and at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and then in academia, I have encountered many public health threats, but none as constant and pervasive as climate change.

Of the many adverse health effects associated with climate, the following four represent the greatest public health problems for a growing population.

For example, flooding can affect water quality and habitats where dangerous bacteria and vectors such as mosquitoes can breed and transmit infectious diseases to humans.

Dengue fever, a painful mosquito-borne viral disease that affects an estimated 100 million people each year, is becoming more common in warm, humid environments. According to the 2022 Lancet Countdown report, its R0, or basic reproduction number, a measure of how quickly it spreads, rose by about 12% from the 1950s to the 2012-2021 average. year. The malaria season increased by 31% in the highlands of Latin America and almost 14% in the highlands of Africa, as temperatures rose over the same period.

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Patients rest in a makeshift dengue ward at a hospital during a severe outbreak in Pakistan in 2021. Arif Ali/AFP via Getty Images

Flooding can also spread water-borne organisms that cause hepatitis and diarrheal diseases such as cholera, especially when large numbers of people are displaced by disasters and live in areas with poor drinking or washing water quality.

Drought can also reduce the quality of drinking water. As a result, more rodent populations enter human communities in search of food, increasing the potential for hantavirus transmission.

Excessive heat can aggravate existing health problems such as cardiovascular and respiratory diseases. And when heat stress turns into heat stroke, it can damage the heart, brain and kidneys and become fatal.

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Today, approximately 30% of the world’s population is exposed to potentially fatal heat stress each year. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change estimates that percentage will rise to at least 48% and as high as 76% by the end of this century.

In addition to lost lives, heat exposure is expected to account for 470 billion lost potential work hours worldwide in 2021, with a total of $669 billion in lost income. As the population grows and the heat rises, more and more people will rely on air conditioning powered by fossil fuels, further contributing to climate change.

The Lancet review found that high temperatures in 2021 shortened the growing season by an average of about 9.3 days for maize or maize and six days for wheat, compared with the 1981-2020 average. year. Meanwhile, warming oceans could kill shellfish and change the fisheries that coastal communities rely on. Heat waves made 98 million more people food insecure in 2020 alone compared to the 1981-2010 average. year.

A Zimbabwean farmer switched to sorghum, a grain crop that can thrive in dry conditions, as drought withered other crops in 2019. Jekesai Njikizan/AFP via Getty Images

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Rising temperatures also affect freshwater supplies by evaporating and shrinking mountain glaciers and snowpacks that have historically provided water flow during the summer months.

According to UN estimates, nearly 700 million people may be displaced by water scarcity and drought by 2030. Together with population growth and increasing energy needs, they can also contribute to geopolitical conflicts as countries face food shortages and compete for water.

Air pollution can be exacerbated by climate change drivers. Hot weather and the same fossil fuel gases that heat the planet contribute to ground-level ozone, a major component of smog. It can aggravate allergies, asthma and other respiratory problems, as well as cardiovascular disease.

Wildfires caused by hot, dry landscapes increase the health risks of air pollution. Fire smoke is loaded with tiny particles that can travel deep into the lungs, causing heart and respiratory problems.

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Smog is a constant problem in New Delhi, India. In 2017, it got so bad that the city temporarily closed elementary schools. Sajjad Hussain/AFP via Getty Images

Many groups and medical experts are working to prevent this cascade of negative climate effects on human health.

The US National Academy of Medicine has launched an ambitious challenge to accelerate research on climate change, human health and equity. Many academic institutions, including the University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health, where I am dean, integrate climate and health into research, teaching and service.

Addressing the health burden in low- and middle-income countries is critical. It is often the most vulnerable people in these countries who face the greatest harm from climate change when they lack the resources to protect their health and the environment. Population growth may exacerbate these irregularities.

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Adaptation assessments can help high-risk countries prepare for climate change impacts. Development groups also lead projects to expand the cultivation of crops that can thrive in dry conditions. The Pan American Health Organization, which focuses on the Caribbean, is an example of how countries are working to reduce infectious diseases and improve regional capacity to combat the effects of climate change.

Countries around the world committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions in 1992. Thirty years later, global emissions are only beginning to decline, and communities around the world are increasingly suffering from extreme heat waves and devastating floods and droughts.

The UN climate change talks, which I believe do not focus enough on health, can help bring attention to the main health consequences of climate change. As UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres noted, “While we celebrate our successes, “it is a reminder of our shared responsibility to care for our planet and a moment to reflect on where we continue to fall short of our commitment to one. other.”

Samantha Totoni, Ph.D. candidate at the University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health, contributed to this article. Although we often think of human-induced climate change as something that will happen in the future, it is an ongoing process. Ecosystems and communities in the US and around the world are being affected today.

Global Warming And Climate Change Effects: Information And Facts

A collage of typical climate and weather events: floods, heat waves, droughts, hurricanes, wildfires and loss of glacier ice. (Image credit:)

Between 1901 and 2020, global temperatures rose by about 1.98°F (1.1°C), but climate change is not just about rising temperatures. It also includes sea level rise, weather changes like droughts and floods, and more. The things we depend on and value—water, energy, transportation, wildlife, agriculture, ecosystems, and human health—are experiencing the effects of a changing climate.

The effects of climate change on different parts of society are interconnected. Drought can harm food production and human health. Flooding can cause the spread of disease and damage to ecosystems and infrastructure. Human health problems can increase mortality, affect food availability and limit worker productivity. The effects of climate change can be seen in every aspect of the world we live in. However, the effects of climate change are uneven across the country and the world—even within the same community, the effects of climate change can vary between neighborhoods or individuals. Persistent socioeconomic inequality can make underserved groups, who are often most at risk and least resourced to respond, more vulnerable.

Future projections affected by climate change are not inevitable. Many of the problems and solutions associated with the off-road link are now known to us, and ongoing research continues to provide new challenges. Experts believe there is still time to avoid the worst outcomes by limiting off-site warming and reducing emissions to zero as soon as possible. Reducing our greenhouse gas emissions will require investment in new technology and infrastructure that will drive job growth. In addition, reducing emissions will reduce adverse effects on human health, saving countless lives and billions of dollars in health-related costs.

Impacts Of Global Warming

Levels of the two most important anthropogenic greenhouse gases, carbon dioxide and methane, continued to rise relentlessly in 2020 despite the economic downturn caused by the response to the coronavirus pandemic.

We see climate change affecting our planet from pole to pole. monitors global climate data, and here are some of the changes recorded. You can explore more information on the global climate dashboard.

Flooding is becoming an increasing problem as our climate changes. Compared to the early 20th century, much of the United States is experiencing both heavier and more frequent unusually heavy precipitation events.

Conversely, drought is also becoming more common, especially in the western United States. People use more water, especially for agriculture. Just as we sweat more when it’s hot outside, higher temperatures cause plants to lose or transpire more water, which means farmers have to give them more water. Both highlight

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