Climate Change and Health
Sumant Bhupathiraju
North Virginia Community College
Professor Karen Doheney
March 4, 2020
Human beings have been grappling with climate change and its impacts since the beginning of the 20th century. The effects have been mostly environmental because of the environmental implications of climate change. Studies by environmental scientists have observed that the impacts of global warming or climate change are likely to increase owing to the low rate of response and the human activities going on in different parts of the world. However, not all scholars and policy-makers, as well as politicians, agree on the possible impacts of climate change as far as its debate is concerned. Some have also disagreed on the perspectives that should be adopted to address this problem. Nevertheless, there is increasing research in this area to provide more information about climate change. Regardless of the studies being done, and the perspectives being adopted, the implications of climate change are visible and much needs to be done. Extreme levels of climate change have resulted in extreme heat/temperatures, floods, and droughts. Therefore, this paper argues that climate change is a significant problem causing a global health catastrophe and needs to be addressed.
Climate change is defined as extreme weather events like rising sea levels, melting of ice and snow, heat waves, and precipitation changes, which leads to drought and flooding. It also leads to intense storms and hurricanes, poorer air quality as well as wildfires. The world is changing, and these outcomes of climate change make it necessary to consider climate change implications on health. Also, the earth’s temperature is increasing majorly because of human activities like greenhouse gas emissions and the burning of fossil fuels from agriculture, industry, transportation, and energy production (Butcher, 2019). Climate change is happening across the world at a rate exceeding the one seen in the world before – over the last 650,000 years. However, there has been little attention focused on the possible impacts of climate change on human health.
Climate change is negatively affecting the lives and health of billions of people in the world. Since early 1970 to early 2000s, climate change led to over 140, 000 deaths. Climate change can affect human health severely (World Health Organization, 2020). For instance, some effects are direct, for example, those of natural disasters like floods, storms, and heatwaves. Others have more complicated pathways that may lead to the transmission of infectious diseases, which disrupts the ecosystem leading to displacement and migration. Sometimes conflict is caused when the resources are depleted, for example, fisheries, water, and fertile land. In the United States, inequality in health is manifested in low levels of education and poverty, which play a significant role in determining the implication of climate change on health. These factors also make it hard for vulnerable populations and communities to adapt to the event of a climatic hazard.
The impact of climate change on human health is taking place in different parts of the world, including the United States of America. For instance, the force of Super Typhoon Mangkhut and Hurricane Florence; the heat waves witnessed in the northern hemisphere, including California, represent now the new normal of the effects of climate change (Tong & Ebi, 2019). These effects are more extreme, they last longer, and also reach further. This evidence provided here is not just isolated cases. It is important to note that almost 150 million people were exposed to life-threatening conditions in 2016. The threats presented by the implications of climate change are particularly acute for the poor, the disabled, the elderly, and the children.
Millions of people have been rendered jobless because of the physical impacts of the rising temperatures. The world health organization estimated that almost 7 million people lose their lives every year because of air pollution resulting from and exacerbated by the burning of fossil fuels, which is among the leading causes of climate change (Butcher, 2019). Natural disasters related to weather have also increased. It is estimated that over 23 million people are displaced every year because of natural disasters in the world. It is also important to note that transmission periods of infectious diseases have also increased. Also, the yields of staple crops have declined. As a consequence, human health is projected to be the biggest casualty of such impacts of climate change.
The financial health cost is projected to increase as a result of the effects of climate change. The world health organization predicts that by the year 2030, the world will spend approximately two to four billion dollars on health. Also, if the course of climate change does not change, the world will lose over 250, 000 lives every year between the years 2030 and 2050. However, most of these deaths will take place in developing countries. These figures are dire, and they demonstrate the human story as far as climate change is concerned. Berkman, Jona, & Soderstrom (2019) observe that retaining and building on the gains that have made in the past will require the world to address the effects of climate change with utmost urgency.
Climate change negatively affects mental health. A study conducted by Usher, Durkin, & Bhullar (2019) to find out the relationship between mental health and climate change revealed that natural events and disasters that are related to climate change results in mental health illnesses. The mental health conditions related to natural phenomena or hazards include posttraumatic stress disorder (PSTD), depression, suicidal ideation, sleep disorders, and anxiety. As a result, the United States government has adopted an approach of competence development to make sure that health care delivery is in tandem with the conservation of the environment. This approach is informed by the realization that health care delivery problems arise because knowledge gaps hindering the community from becoming resilient to climate change.
Increasing greenhouse gases’ concentrations increases both extreme and average temperatures. These outcomes are projected to increase illness and deaths from heat. It is also projected that illness and deaths from colds will decrease, especially among vulnerable populations like the poor, the elderly, and the children. According to Morello (2010), hotter days during the summer, as well as colder days during winter, are projected to cause increased deaths and levels of illness by undermining the ability of the body to induce or indirect health complications or regulate the temperature. Internal temperature control loss may lead to several illnesses like hypothermia, heatstroke, heat exhaustion, and heat cramps in the presence of extreme heat. Extreme temperatures may also worsen chronic conditions like diabetes-related conditions, cerebrovascular disease, respiratory disease, and cardiovascular disease, among others (World Health Organization, 2020). Also, prolonged exposure to extreme temperatures is projected to hospital admissions for respiratory, kidney, and cardiovascular disorders.
Climate change has affected the quality of air that people breathe outdoors and indoors and will continue to affect it if nothing is done to stop it. It has modified the patterns of weather that have, in turn, the location and levels of air pollutants, for example, the ozone layer as well as delicate particulate matter. An increase in the levels of carbon dioxide tends to promote the growth of plants that are known for releasing allergens. Rendering to Mertens (2014), the effect of climate change on the quality of air and allergens infiltrate buildings, schools, and homes. If nothing is done about this, then it is projected that the human cardiovascular and respiratory systems of the members of the public will be undermined, leading to more public health challenges. For instance, higher concentrations of pollen, as well as longer seasons of pollen, may increase sensitization of allergy and episodes of asthma, thus limiting productivity at home, school, and work (Philipsborn & Chan, 2018).
Substantial financial investment in health infrastructure that is resilient to climate change will be necessary to meet this challenge. The government must embed the mitigation, reaction, and adaptation of climate change into the long-term plan of the healthcare system. According to Berkman, Jona, & Soderstrom (2019), the economic and environmental policies of the country must be center around the health needs of the people and the community. For instance, a significant portion of the healthcare investment should be directed towards Universal Health Coverage (UHC). Studies have revealed that providing universal healthcare is among the key factors that promote the development and an essential approach of addressing the health implications of climate change.
The health care and health profession system must be in the front as far as fighting the challenges of climate change is concerned. It is incumbent upon the public health community to upscale their effort and include climate change in their agenda. According to Chen (2019), the public health community must embed climate change into its policy reform, management decision, and every medical decision that the health professional make. This approach will help in preventing climate change from undermining the health of the public, the welfare of the patient, and public safety.
The climate impact of the healthcare itself must also be addressed if the country and the world, in general, is to fight climate change. Also, the kind of care provided by the health care system must be focused on climate (Tong & Ebi, 2019). Similarly, the plan and the policies of the health care system should be resilient to climate change. However, it should not be lost to us that a huge contributor to climate change is the health care system. For instance, the United States of America alone contributes over 8% of the greenhouse gas emissions from the country (Butcher, 2019). If the United States’ health care system was a country, it would be the 13th biggest greenhouse gas emitter in the world.
Health care professionals also have an essential role in mitigating the implications of climate change on health. The American College of Physicians (ACP) suggests that health care professionals support mitigation policies against climate change and champion for the implementation of sustainable practices of protecting the environment. For instance, family physicians should play the role of translators for climate science in local communities (Abelsohn et al., 2013). They should also carry out health interventions that encourage their clients to live “greener” lifestyles.
Increased advocacy targeting public and political effort as well as one-on-one effort can help mitigate the health implications of climate change. Even though the effects of climate change are here with the communities, many people still ignore or deny the existence of climate change, including its human contributions (World Health Organization, 2020). Therefore, creating awareness among communities on the causes of climate change and its implications on communities, including the health effects, may lead to the adoption of environmentally friendly practices. It is important to note that when people continue to deny the impact of climate change, advocacy work is undermined.
In conclusion, climate change continues to affect communities across the world, including the United States of America. For instance, 14,000 people died during the summer heatwaves in Europe alone in 2003 because of heat-related conditions. Crop yields have declined, and people continue to be exposed to the effects of climate change like wildfires, drought, famine, and hurricanes, among others, that not only affect their health but also result in thousands of deaths. Human activities are the leading contributor to climate change. However, there are voices in the country who continue to deny the existence of climate change. Addressing the health implications of climate change will require a multi-sectoral approach, investing in the health care system, political will, and creation of awareness and advocacy in the communities about the causes and effects of climate change on human health.
References
Abelsohn, A., Rachlis, V., & Vakil, C. (2013). Climate change: Should family physicians and family medicine organizations pay attention?. Canadian Family Physician, 59(5), 462-466.
Berkman, H., Jona, J., & Soderstrom, N. S. (2019). Firm value and government commitment to combating climate change. Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, 53.
Butcher, L. (2019, November 29). Climate change and health. CQ researcher, 29, 1-57.
Chan, E., Y. (2019). Climate Change and Global Health.
Mertens, P. (2014). Health and Climate Change.
Morello, L. (2010). Impacts of Climate Change Extend to Human Health.
Philipsborn, R. P., & Chan, K. (2018). Climate change and global child health. Pediatrics, 141(6), e20173774.
Tong, S., & Ebi, K. (2019). Preventing and mitigating health risks of climate change. Environmental research.
World Health Organization. WHO calls for urgent action to protect health from climate change—sign the call. http://www.who.int/globalchange/global-campaign/cop21/en Accessed May 10, 2020.