Impacts of Climate
Change
Health
Climate change
is likely to have wide ranging and mostly adverse effects on
human health with significant loss of life. (WGII SPM).
Overview
Global climate
change poses substantial risks to human health. Millions of
people could be affected and the IPCC anticipates that most of
the impacts would be adverse. Increases in mortality from heat
waves compounded by more severe urban air pollution are
predicted with high confidence. Increases in infectious
diseases, such as malaria and schistosomiasis, are also
predicted with high confidence, due to the geographical spread
of conducive climactic conditions and changes in the lifecycle
of disease vectors and infectious organisms. Finally, other
impacts of climate change, such as sea-level rise and
increases in drought in some places and more intense flooding,
would also adversely affect public health by increasing hunger
in some areas, by damaging infrastructure and displacing
populations.
IPCC Findings
The sustained
health of human populations requires the continued integrity
of Earth's natural systems. The disturbance, by climate
change, of physical systems and ecosystems would therefore
pose risks to human health.
Heatr
Stress
Extensive research has shown that heat waves cause
excess deaths. The IPCC predicts, with high confidence, that
climate change will cause additional heat-related deaths and
illnesses. Studies in selected cities in North America, North
Africa, and East Asia indicate that the number could more than
double by the end of the next century, representing several
thousand extra deaths annually in number of very large cities.
It has been reported that 669 people died prematurely during
the American Midwest heat wave during the summer of 1995,
providing a picture of what the future will bring. Although
cause and effect cannot be established for any single event,
this heat wave is consistent with IPCC predictions.
Infectious Diseases
Vector-borne
diseases are a major cause of illness and death in tropical
countries. Rather than being transmitted directly from human
to human, these diseases are transmitted by insects or other
vectors. Climate is an important determinant of the spread of
vector-borne diseases, affecting the distribution of the
disease-carrying insects as well as the infectiousness of the
disease itself. The IPCC concluded that "in general, increased
warmth and moisture would enhance transmission of these
diseases." One model of malaria transmission indicates that
global warming could cause 50-80 million additional cases
annually. Although this quantitative result must be viewed
cautiously, and does not account for the potential for public
health measures to mitigate the impact, it clearly indicates
the magnitude of the potential impact of climate change on
human health.
Links
and References
The
Environmental Protection Agency has a page on the health
related impacts of global warming, including further
information on infectious diseases, heat exhaustion and
respiratory problems associated with a warmer planet.
http://www.epa.gov/globalwarming/impacts/health/index.html
The
Climate Change and Human Health Integrated Assessment Web
provides recent and relevant information about the potential
impacts of climate change through integrated assessment. This
web site aims to appropriately characterize and communicate
current scientific research to support policy development and
analysis.
http://www.jhu.edu/~climate/
World
Wildlife Fund has published an incredibly comprehensive and
navigable report on human health impacts. The health of
multiple communities is discussed based on region: those
effected by El Nino, mountainous regions, coastal regions, and
much much more.
http://www.panda.org/climate/pubs/health_factsheet/preface.htm
WWF's also has
a page on human health including reports on malaria, dengue
fever, encephalitis, climate variablity, rodents and disease,
marine environment, and costs of diseases.
http://www.panda.org/climate/pubs/Health_Issues/index.htm
The
World Health Organization has a new paper out on the health
effects of global warming, entitled "Climate change and Human
health: Impact and Adaptation"
http://www.pacinst.org/wildlife.html
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