We’re Not Talking About Health and Climate Change – We Need To
Climate change. Yawn. Yes, it’s bad, but (a) there’s nothing I can do, and (b) it may affect my grandchildren. Not me. If we do change our habits, it’s to benefit future generations, right? Yawn.
WRONG!
Health and climate change are not being discussed – but they should be. Because global warming is having a significant effect on YOUR health, right now.
How is that possible?
We know we’re all creating huge amounts of pollution. But
- the scale of the problem
- the effects it’s having right now
are not common knowledge.
Just how much pollution are we really creating?
The highly respected climate scientist James Hansen (who has worked for NASA and advised the White House) gives a very, very dramatic answer in a Ted Talk (here’s his presentation)
Adding CO2 to the air is like throwing another blanket on the bed. It reduces Earth’s heat radiation to space, so there’s a temporary energy imbalance.
That imbalance is now equivalent to exploding 400,000 Hiroshima atomic bombs per day, 365 days per year. That’s how much extra energy Earth is gaining each day.
And it’s causing global warming or climate change.
Now of course, he doesn’t mean that literally. He’s referring to the fact that atom bombs deliver a vast amount of energy in a very short period of time. And, like the Hiroshima bomb, global warming is capable of destroying cities. It’s a very dramatic way of getting a very serious point across. And it’s easy to remember, too.
That amount of pollution / energy imbalance cannot help but have serious impacts.
And one of the big impacts is our health.
Here’s How Health and Climate Change Are Linked
Climate change is causing record-breaking temperatures, extensive droughts and severe storms around the world. These have knock-on effects.
Let’s look at them in a little more detail.
Rising Temperatures and the Spread of Disease
Rising temperatures lead to the spread of Legionnaires disease – the US has seen a spike in Legionnaire outbreaks, especially in the east coast.
Similarly, Tuberculosis infection is on the rise in the US, which had been TB-free for some time.
People with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) often struggle with lung function in higher temperatures.
Extreme temperatures and a much higher pollen count are leading to longer and more dramatic allergy seasons, as well as a spike in hospitalizations due to asthma attacks.
The rash from poison ivy is almost quadruple the potency than it was in the 1950s, and it’s due to the increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide.
The West Nile Virus, the Zika virus, and Lyme disease are all on the rise.
Wildfires and Health
We often think of the dreadful destruction caused by wildfires – but there’s a health impact too, apart from the fire danger. They release particles into the air which trigger asthma problems, coughing, and even heart disease, particularly for those with existing heart problems or lung diseases.
In addition, wildfire smoke can blow hundreds of miles. For example, after a forest fire in Quebec in 2002, there was a 30-fold spike in particle pollution in Baltimore – 1,000 miles away.
Food and Water
Droughts and higher temperatures mean water shortages. Methods such as fracking also put our precious drinking water at risk. Add to this the water demands for manufacturing consumer goods, as well as agriculture, and it’s clear we’re going to struggle for water.
Water shortages will cause mass migrations and huge refugee issues – yes, even in developed countries.
Climate change will also affect the breadbaskets of various countries. For example, the Midwest and Great Plains in the US are expected to become prone to extreme droughts, affecting food supplies.
Climate Change and Health – It’s Happening Now
Climate change isn’t just about the future inhabitants of the earth, but also about what it’s doing to our health right now.
Health and climate change is NOT something we can put off thinking and talking about.
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Warm regards,
P.S. Don’t forget to download your free climate change report here!
Related:
- Could you be allergic to your own clothes?
- Top 10 ecofriendly solutions to allergies
- How many will you get right in this climate change QUIZ?
