The Effects of Global Warming on Health

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Effects of Global Warming on Health by Christophe Catesson

A report of the effects of global warming on health published by the WHO, has estimated around one million and fifty thousand deaths every year due to global warming. Further it declared that each year five million people suffer from health problems and diseases caused by climate change. Rising concern over this matter has led many scientists and researchers to take a deeper look and prepare a plan to save human civilization from this onslaught.

Global warming has caused changes in temperature, ocean current flow, sea level, ecosystem, economy, agriculture, industry, settlements and related to all these - health. Global warming has created a congenial atmosphere for the breeding and expansion of various viruses, bacteria and carriers of infectious diseases. A few of the negative effects of global warming on human health are:

- The vectors distribution of infectious diseases have been altered and increased

- More heatwaves resulting in more deaths

- The seasonal distribution of some species of allergenic pollen has been altered

- Various extreme conditions caused by global warming, such as droughts, heat waves, cold snaps, tidal waves, storms, floods, and fire will cause many more deaths as well as more injuries and diseases

- Malnutrition and disordered development of children will increase

- Malaria, diarrhea, cholera, dengue fever, encephalitis and other diseases will increase

- There will be a constant increase in rates of mortality due to ground-level ozone-related diseases as well as increased cardio-respiratory morbidity

Thus global warming will affect human health in two major ways - through extreme weather conditions and through the growth of infectious diseases. The IPCC, in a study of one of the areas most affected by global warming - Illinois, Chicago - has provided a comprehensive report that by 2020 extreme climate conditions like heat waves will raise the average deaths due to climate to 400 and to 497 by 2050 from the present average of 191. The European heat wave of 2003 is an example of the severity of global warming. Heat waves will even cause more cardio-respiratory complications resulting in higher death rates.

The results of ill health due to climate change and infectious diseases are already evident. Houston, as well as many tropical countries, are experiencing frequent outbreaks of malaria, dengue fever and other encephalitic diseases. Even colder regions like Michigan, New Jersey, and New York have had an increase in malaria since 1990 as a result of global warming.

McAllen in Texas also suffered a dengue fever outbreak in 1995. Florida, New Orleans, Arizona, Mississippi, Texas, Colorado, and California - all are experiencing increases in encephalitis from global warming since 1987. According to the IPCC, 65% of the world's population will suffer from a higher risk of infectious diseases in the near future. The risk itself will be increased by 20% as a result of global warming.

Facing such an impending calamity due to climate change, the requirement for proper planning and organized adaptation to new and changing conditions has received a new impetus. Along with urgent and basic adaptation practices to fight the immediate effects, a longer-term planning process is necessary to address the severity of future conditions resulting from global warming. A participatory approach to the holistic development of human health is expected to calm the effects of global warming on health to some extent.

For more similar articles, visit http://www.theglobalwarmingoverview.com and read about facts, maps, news and myths.

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