How Climate Change Affects Our Health

MANILA, Philippines – Glaciers are melting, sea level is rising and severe storms are becoming more frequent. These are some of the effects of climate change brought about by carbon that humans let loose in the atmosphere, mostly from fuels burned to run cars, trucks and power plants.

More and more people continue to learn about the devastation brought about by climate change, including adaptation and mitigation strategies. Unfortunately, not enough is being said about the health effects of climate change.
Climate change is the greatest threat to global health in this century. It is not just an environmental issue
but also a health issue.

Cost of avoiding climate change
An advanced country’s estimate is one to two percent of annual world gross domestic product if we do everything to reduce carbon emissions to adapt to climate change. On the other hand, if we do nothing, it will cost us five to 20 percent of world gross domestic product yearly in health costs.
The earth’s average surface temperature is most likely to rise exceeding the safe level of 2°C above preindustrial average temperature. A 0.76°C rise has already occurred, and a severe 3-4°C rise is foreseen at the rate we generate carbon emissions.
Climate change will affect our health through changing patterns of disease, availability of food and water. Buildings and communities are not designed to cope with climate change. There is a crying need for reforestation, disaster risk assessment and community mobilization.



By Amado de Jesus
Philippine Daily Inquirer




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climate change

Did you know ?

Climate Change And Health

Key facts

• Climate change affects the fundamental requirements for health – clean air, safe drinking water, sufficient food and secure shelter.
• The global warming that has occurred since the 1970s was causing over 140 000 excess deaths annually by the year 2004.
• Many of the major killers such as diarrhoeal diseases, malnutrition, malaria and dengue are highly climate-sensitive and are expected to worsen as the climate changes.
• Areas with weak health infrastructure – mostly in developing countries – will be the least able to cope without assistance to prepare and respond.
• Reducing emissions of greenhouse gases through better transport, food and energy-use choices can result in improved health.

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Climate change

Over the last 50 years, human activities – particularly the burning of fossil fuels – have released sufficient quantities of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases to trap additional heat in the lower atmosphere and affect the global climate.

In the last 100 years, the world has warmed by approximately 0.75'C. Over the last 25 years, the rate of global warming has accelerated, at over 0.18'C per decade.

Sea levels are rising, glaciers are melting and precipitation patterns are changing. Extreme weather events are becoming more intense and frequent.

What is the impact of climate change on health?

Although global warming may bring some localized benefits, such as fewer winter deaths in temperate climates and increased food production in certain areas, the overall health effects of a changing climate are likely to be overwhelmingly negative. Climate change affects the fundamental requirements for health – clean air, safe drinking water, sufficient food and secure shelter.

Read more...  http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs266/en/index.html