Impacts of Climate Change on health Free-Samples for Students

Question: Discuss about the Impacts of Climate Change on health. Answer: Introduction Climate change has been on the rise over time. It is a threat to health in so many ways. This paper looks at some of the health impacts caused by climate change. The impacts may come from direct exposure to changes in climatic conditions, for instance, the changing weather patterns and weather events that are so harsh to live. The changes may result from the availability of water and quality of air in the atmosphere that may consequently affect agriculture and economy as well (Knowlton et al., 2011). There are several instances of the negative impacts of too much climate conditions and health. Some of the adverse effects of climatic changes can be seen when droughts and floods have affected areas resulting in failures in crop harvesting. This consequently leads to a shortage of food and malnutrition. There are further consequences of malnutrition including some disorders and hindrances to child growth and development (Portiers Tart, 2010). The availability of water has been affected by dynamics in precipitation resulting from changes in the two seasons i.e rainy and dry seasons. The quality of the atmospheric air continues to deteriorate because of the pollution of the ozone layer. The pollutions are caused by an increase in temperature and stagnated air (Costello et al., 2009). The effect of climate change has further caused an increase in some diseases especially the vector-borne diseases, for instance, malarial diseases. The breeding of mosquitoes is enhanced by the increase in temperature, a condition that enables the female mosquitoes to become so fertile (Meehl et al., 2007). The effect may extend to cause mental disability, for example, anxiety and depression (Costello et al., 2009). The extreme weather conditions have the ability to cause devastation and health impacts in poor and underdeveloped countries through inadequate harvesting and population displacement (St. Louis Hess, 2008). The world has changed. Activities by the people are a cause of environmental problems. Climate change caused by adverse weather conditions for example heat waves, melting snow, rising in sea level, hurricanes, storms, and wildfires among many other devastating effects, show that there is a need to look at the consequences on health. The temperature of the earth is seen to increase because of human activities, for example, burning fossil fuels. The emissions from these are thrown into the atmosphere thereby infiltrating the atmosphere resulting in changes weather conditions that consequently affect agriculture as well as health (Parry et al., 2007). The Little focus seems to have been given to the potential health impacts of change in climate. Pope Benedict XVI and the U.S. Catholic Bishops have accepted the consensus by science researchers that it is upon everyone to look for a proper action that can curb the problems of climate change and its impacts. According to Catholic healthcare professionals, climate change is a moral aspect and faith requires that we act prudently to avert the carbon footprint and to give protection to human life and dignity. This will mean we care for the least and voice up to help the poor. The Catholics believe that life is a sacred thing and the poor should be granted a special concern. They are committed to a common good and this has urged them to reconsider the issue of climate and its effects and try to reduce its impacts on human life and endeavors. Health workers can show by example through reduction of their personal carbon footprints, encouraging, and campaigning for sustainability of lifestyles, for instance, reducing dependency on the automobile as a means of movement, and to focus on the costs related to environmental purchases at work (American Academy of Paediatrics, 2007). Health workers can also the role of enlightening their patients about the strategies and effects of climate in their local and regional places. Through this, they would be able to understand how to take care of their environment and even how to deal with different problems caused by climatic changes (Gould, 2011). Conclusion In recent decades, a huge number of people worldwide have been affected by natural disasters arising from climate changes. Just to mention a few, floods, droughts, cold, among others (Costello et al., 2009). Recently it has been observed that climatic changes are on the rising trend and this poses a great challenge to human, plants, and animal life. It is, therefore, a proper time to call everyone to participate in the global reduction of those factors that affect the environment. References Knowlton, K. (2011). Six Climate Change-Related Events in the United States Accounted for About $14 in Lost Lives and Health Costs: Health Affairs, 30(11), 2167-2176. Portier, C.J. Tart, K.T. (2010). The Interagency Working Group on Climate Change and Health (IWGCCH). A human health perspective on climate change: Report outlining the research needs on the human health effects of climate change. Research Triangle Park, NC, Environmental Health Perspectives and National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. Costello, A., Maslin, M., Montgomery, H., Johnson, A.M., Ekins, P. (2011). Global health and climate change: moving from denial and catastrophic fatalism to positive action. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London, Series A, Mathematical and Physical Sciences, 369(1942), 1866-82. Meehl, G.A et al.,(2007). Climate Change: The Physical Science Basis. The contribution of Working Group I to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Cambridge University Press, 747-845. St.Louis, M. Hess, J. (2008). Climate Change: Impacts on and Implications for Global Health.American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 35(5), 3527-538, 2008. Parry, M.L et al., (2007). Climate Change: Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerability. The contribution of Working Group II to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Cambridge UK: Cambridge University Press. American Academy of Paediatrics (AAP). (November 2007). Policy Statement: Global Climate Change and Childrens Health. Pediatrics, 120(5), 1149-1152. doi:10.1542/peds.2007-2645