Effects Of Global Warming To Human Health

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Category: Global Warming Health

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Like many other issues, debates on Global Warming have been as hot as the world’s temperature. Over centuries, the direct relationship of human beings to the causes and effects of Global Warming has been the one of the hottest in the eyes of researchers, scientists, naturalists and economists. They all have their own vested interests on their pursuit to comprehend how global warming stuffs work. Either global warming is a natural phenomenon or a consequence of the world’s industrialization trend, there is one thing that all of the interested groups will agree with: the Human Race is directly and negatively affected.

As the term implies, global warming is a worldwide concern. This means it encompasses all of the earth’s inhabitants-plants, animals and human beings. This global climate change poses a threat to the earth’s ecological systems which are “the very foundation of our society in science, agriculture, social and economic planning.” (T. Socha) Global warming has negative impact on wildlife, vegetation, agriculture and our forests; all of which human life directly and indirectly depends on for survival. The ethical issue to focus on is the fact that human beings are directly responsible for this alarming global climate change. Humans who are supposed to be the guardians of the earth are the ones held responsible for the loss of biological diversity.

This paper aims to present a background on the nature of Global Warming and its causes and effects. It specifically focuses on the impact of the said phenomenon to the human health. Of all the things that we are concerned at, we must focus on the most important and immediate concern: the human life. It is important to trace the link of human activities to the causes of climate change in order to establish the reality of human’s irresponsibility. It must however be clear that this is not to know who has to be blamed but to know how this climate change affects us and our future. It is important to secure information that will help us to at least minimize if not to halt the fatal effects of global warming.

HUMAN ACTIVITIES AND GLOBAL WARMING

The greenhouse effect is a warming process that enables the earth to stay at a temperature that is fitted for the existence of biodiversity. Kept in a normal range, greenhouse gases, which include carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide, keeps the earth’s average temperature at about 60ºF (15ºC) and makes life possible (D. Carpenter). However, the increased concentration of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the air made the warming process abnormal. The shift in the concentration levels of these gases have been accounted to human activities which were determined by scientists to have been started since the Industrial Revolution. Carbon dioxide concentration increased by 30%, nitrous oxide by 15% and methane by 100% (P. Rauber, 36). Studies show that industrialization has encouraged the increase usage of fossil fuels such as coal and oil, to engage in deforestation for agricultural and housing development, increased use artificial products that contain Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), PCFs and HFCs. The link of human activities to the causes of global warming is therefore clear.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the Earth’s Norman temperature should be 61.7 degrees Fahrenheit, a figure that has been internationally agreed upon by scientists. NOAHH said the Earth was able to maintain that normal temperature from 1961-1990 but the same group also reported a 1°F increase in the global temperature in 1998. They concluded that humans are mostly responsible for the continuing long-term global warming trend. The IPCC has provided four independent lines of evidence that the said observed increase in the atmospheric carbon dioxide is caused by human activities. First, there is a nearly constant increase in the concentration in CO₂concentration in the last 1000 years. IPCC said there can be no natural change in the cycle that can be accountable for such an increase. Second, the concentration history is closely related to the cumulative emissions of carbon dioxide from fossil fuels and deforestation. Third, the carbon dioxide concentration in the Northern Hemisphere has increased by 2ppmv from 1960 to 1985, which is consistent with the growth in the rate of fossil fuel emissions. Fourth, the observed trends in the abundance of heavier carbon isotopes are consistent with the relative ratios found in the fossil fuels and plant carbon.

Through the course of this research, this author was able to find out that global warming does not only affect human health but in some ways has also been the major cause of the changes in the environment which seem to have been out of the natural cycle. Climate change negative affects the world’s ecological systems from which the world’s economy depends on. These systems provide the raw materials for the world’s different industries and provide for the human’s source of food. Degradation and pollution of these systems means a serious damage to the economy. Relative to this fact, the researcher found that human activities are proven to have been the major contributor of the negative changes in the ecological systems caused by the rise in the global temperature.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, in its International Study of the Impacts of Global Warming on Food Security found out that global warming will result to a higher risk of food scarcity by 2060. With the continuing trend, the overall decline in global food production will be 1 to 8 percent which will lead to a 63-369 million additional hungry human beings (Lashof, 1993). In the research conducted by the University of California, global warming will cause an estimated 20-50 percent of California’s natural areas to become unfit for its current natural inhabitants (Thompson). The world’s wildlife will not escape either. With warmer water, there will be more incidences of coral bleaching. Unreasonable rise in temperature will cause the collapse of snow in the High Arctic which will consequently alter the natural habitation of seals. The population reduction of seals will lead to the death of the polar bears. With all these facts therefore, human beings are faced with the ethical challenge of holding responsibility of saving what we still have. With the predicted effects of global warming, human beings are asked to act immediately in order to minimize its effects.

EFFECTS OF GLOBAL WARMING TO HUMAN HEALTH

Independent studies done by different environmental researchers found that global warming is directly responsible for many cases of deaths due to diverse environmental changes. The U.S. Global Research Program found in its study that global warming has direct impact on human mortality and morbidity (Cooler Heads Coalition). The said research also found out that global warming is a major contributor to the spread of vector-borne diseases, rodent-borne diseases, water and air-borne diseases including the occurrence of extreme weather events. In fact, the World Health Organization already reported 150,000 annual deaths relative to global warming, that is besides the 5 million illnesses directly attributable to the climate change (L. West).

The world has been a several times have witnessed the deadly effects of heat waves due to the increase in the earth’s surface temperature. Heat waves killed more than 20,000 Europeans in 2003, and have already affected more than 80 million Americans according to reports by the National Resources Defense Council. More than 700 people were killed in Chicago in July 1995 and caused 3,300 excess in ER visits (C. Gorman). The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency also reported that extreme hot temperatures increase the heart problems, heat exhaustion and other respiratory diseases. Exposure to ozone air pollutant also causes chest pains, nausea and pulmonary congestion, asthma and other lung diseases.

Rising temperatures contribute to the spread of insect-borne infections like malaria yellow fever, encephalitis and dengue. With warmer temperatures, the incubation time required from when the mosquito first encounters an infected hose until the mosquito is able to transmit an infection virus may be shortened (E. Cross and C. Hyams). With the rising global temperature, the spread of such disease is faster and wider in range. The relationship of global warming to the spread of these infectious diseases is therefore clear and alarming. Discover Magazine reported 1 to 2 million deaths from malaria in 1996, ninety percent of the new cases of which were accounted in Africa and Southeast Asia. As of the same year, there have been 320,000 dengue fever cases reported in the Americas (T. Socha).

Rising temperatures alter weather patterns that cause a more frequent occurrence of hurricanes, tornadoes and precipitation extremes. Floods and droughts are also in the list of extreme weather events of which global warming is a major contributor. In 1991, cyclones left 139,000 dead in Bangladesh. Hurricane Andrew killed about 55 people in the United States in 1992. In 1993, Hantavirus was seen in the Southwest of the United States after severe drought and extreme flood conditions were experienced in the area. Rodent-borne diseases like Hantavirus and Leptospirosis spread fast as a result of global warming.

The United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in its scientific report published on February 2, 2007 estimated a global temperature rise of 3.5 to 8 degrees Fahrenheit by the year 2050 (L.West). The panel assessed a one-in-ten chance that the increase could be worse. When the current global warming trend continues, IPCC projected a rise in the sea levels of 7 to 23 inches by 2010. The panel also projected regions that are most affected by the said phenomenon. The highly populated rivers of Nile in Egypt, Ganges in Bangladesh, Yangtze and Hwang Ho in China and Mekong in Vietnam are said to be the most vulnerable. Just a meter rise in the seal level will lead to the loss of 12-15% of Egypt’s arable land and 17% that of the Bangladesh. The United States is not exempted and in fact estimated to be losing 30% to 80% of its coastal wetlands (IPCC, 1990).

Ocean warming will lead to the spread of bacteria and thus leads to increased incidence of red tide. This only means that marine life is at risk. Marine life is sensitive to water temperature (C. Moore). When there is change in water temperature, organism distribution will be altered and possibly will kill some species. Freshwater species like the salmon, pike, trout and muskie are jut few of the marine creatures that will be much affected. Experts say that a 5 degrees Fahrenheit increase in water temperature is enough to kill much of the population of trout. With the same figure, 1996 EPA Study concluded a 50-100 percent loss of coldwater fish populations in the 24 states (Rauber, 38). Because human beings are major players in the ecosystem, and aquatic resources are major food source for human beings, we are therefore severely affected.

The IPCC report said that the increased level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere makes the ph balance of seawater more acidic. This change was predicted by the panel to threaten the survival of coral reefs and plankton, elements of which are vital to the existence of marine life. When marine life food chain is destroyed or even just altered, human health and life are at a greater risk because of food scarcity.

The World Health Organization estimates that by 2080s, there will be 20 million people whose lives will be affected by coastal storm flooding (J. Patz). Heavy downpours due to global warming will lead to more floods which are directly linked to water quality. When there is flood, the most immediate consequence will be the contamination of water systems and that simply means unsafe water sources. Floods lead to the spread of water-borne diseases such as cholera of which Bangladesh has been one of the greatest victims besides the 5,000 people who died in the cholera epidemic in South America in 1991. Even if these health problems do not solely brought about by global warming, researches have established the fact that the increase in the global temperature is a major contributor for the occurrence and spread of these infectious diseases.

Global Warming is not just one simple issue that the world can afford to pay lesser attention to. Global warming is a worldwide and immediate concern. It is the human beings’ official business because scientific researches have established the human link to the occurrence of this alarming phenomenon. As a major contributor of Carbon Dioxide, human beings are to be held responsible for the warming of the earth of which they are also the most immediate victims. It does not simply suggest hotter temperatures for most parts of the world. As reliable studies found and have proven climate change has great impact on many areas of human life.

Global warming negatively affects agricultural life including marine life and vegetation. Climate change has been traced to be a major contributor of extreme weather events which do not only lead to loss of properties but also the loss of human life. Climate change alters the natural habitat of most living organisms. Global warming has been attributed to the spread of infectious diseases which have sacrificed millions of human lives. These series of events also show one thing: the human beings’ irresponsibility in using the earth’s natural resources has led to the uncontrollable decay of Mother Earth. Therefore, the human race is to face the ethical challenge of saving is left. The earth is still worth saving not only for the human race, but also for the other forms of life on earth, who cannot help themselves and we have failed to consider centuries ago.

WORKS CITED

Carpenter, David. “Health Effects of Global Warming” Institute of Health and the Environment University. Albany

Cross, Eleanor and Kenneth Hyams. “The Potential Effect of Global Warming on the Geographic and Seasonal Distribution of Phlebotomus Papatasi in Southwest Asia.” “The Environmental Health Perspectives. Vol. 104. July 1996. pp. 724-727

Gorman, Christine. “How It Affects Your Health” Time Magazine. March 26, 2006. Retrieved on April 13, 2007 from http://www.time/magazine/article/0,9171,1177002,00.html

Lashof, D. (1989). “The Dynamic Greenhouse: Feedback Processes that may Influence Future Contractions of Atmospheric Trace Gases an Climatic Change.” pp. 213

Moore, Curtis (1997) “Warming up to Hot New Evidence” International Wildlife. Vol. 27. pp24-27

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (1990) Working Group II. “Potential Impacts of Climate Change” pp. 6-9

Patz, Jonathan. “Alarming Health Effects of Global Warming” Medical News Today. November 19, 2005. Retrieved on April 13, 2007 from http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=33768

Rauber, Paul (1997). “Heat Wave: If WE Continue to Ignore the Danger Signs, the World of the Future will be Hotter, Poorer, Deadlier Place; Here’s What It Might Look Like.” Vol. 82. pg. 34-38

Socha, Thomas. “The Potential Effects of Global Warming” Retrieved on April 13, 2007 from http://www.cato.org/pubs/books/climate/069-88.pdf

Thompson, Dick (1997). “Climate: Melt Away Future the Ice Caps are shrinking…” Time International. Vol. 11. p. 38

West, Larry. “Global Warming is Unstoppable and Humans are to Blame, says UN Report” Retrieved on April 17, 2007 from http://environment.about.com/od/globalwarming/a/ipcc_report.htm

Cooler Heads Coalition. “Potential Health Effects of Global Warming; Urban Heat in Atlanta; CBS Climate Hype” April 20, 2000. Retrieved on April 13, 2007 from http://www.globalwarming.org/article.php?=225

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