How Climate Change Impacts Health: What do you need to know about it, a guide 101

It is proven today that climate change is real and entails a considerable risk to the health of populations. Besides direct threats to habitats and health systems as a result of rising global temperatures, changes in precipitation patterns, rising sea levels and shifting ecosystems have both direct as well as indirect implications on the wellbeing of population. This piece examines the individual health risks posed by climate change in a bid to consider both short term and chronic risks of climate change to humans.

Heat-Related Illnesses and Mortality due to climate change

Increasing global temperature leads to climate change which brings about heat waves and therefore more incidences of people suffering from heat waves and extreme heat. There are a number of heat induced illnesses where a person is exposed to extreme heats for several hours. More vulnerable groups include the elderly, infants, and patients with chronic diseases. Based on statistics provided by the World Health Organization, there are close to 166,000 heat-related deaths that occur every year across the globe. Heat stress is most acute in urban centers due to the phenomenon of heat islands.

Respiratory and Cardiovascular Diseases due to climate change

Climate change worsens air pollution mainly through increased ground-level ozone and particulate matter. Higher temperatures mean increased smog which leads to respiratory problems such as asthma, chronic bronchitis, and some alert and chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases. In addition to this, it is well known that air pollution leads to various cardiovascular diseases like heart or stroke attacks. The relationship between climate change and pollution is highly experienced by the lower class population living in areas with high levels of pollution.

Increased Vector-Borne Diseases due to climate change

The warming temperature and changes in rainfall patterns have led to an increase in the geographical spread of vectors such as mosquitoes and ticks, which are responsible for transmitting various diseases. Therefore, these diseases will spread from one region to another with the help of mosquito borne diseases such as malaria and dengue fever, Zika virus, and Lyme bacterial disease. Also, with the rise in temperature that is conducive to such vectors, the seasons of disease transmission are prolonged and broaden through additional areas. All these pose a strain on the already lower capacity and increase mortality over the resource progressive regions.

The Interrelationship Between Food Security and Nutritional Issues

Due to the variability of climate, agricultural systems remain extremely vulnerable to the changes that manifest themselves through prolonged droughts, erratic rainfall, or increased occurrences of extreme weather. Changes in weather patterns cause a decline in the yields of crops and sometimes total crop failure. This brings about a shortage of food, which causes the prices of foodstuffs to skyrocket, and in some areas of the globe even hunger.

Hunger, in turn, is among the factors leading to malnutrition, particularly in the low-income earning countries where poor people have very limited access to healthy food. Lack of proper food leads to malnourished individuals who are more prone to infections, with children particularly affected in terms of growth and achievement of appropriate developmental milestones.

Water-Born Diseases due to climate change

The depletion of fresh water resources and pollution of existing water bodies are the adverse effects as a result of climate change, which impact the health status of the population. Severe weather phenomena like flooding and storms introduce bacteria and toxicity into water sources causing an out break of water borne diseases like cholera, dysentery, and diarrhea. Droughts on the other hand restrict people from having enough access to safe drinking water which results to poor sanitation and hygiene practices academically. In addition, the UN states that almost 2 billion people already lack enough water and the already existing problems will be worsened by climate change.

Effects related to Mental Illness due to climate change

Concerning the impacts of the changing climate largely presents itself as a mental health issue. Destruction brought about by climate disasters like hurricanes, wildfires as well as floods induces trauma, stress, anxiety, and depression within the surrounding communities as well. Another cause of social displacement is climate change and migration induced by climate changes; this involves people leaving their homes due to reduction in environmental quality as most habitats have been destroyed and environmental changes compromise on their mental well-being. In small island states and low-lying coastal areas populations in sensitive regions have to deal with psychological trauma from the loss of homes, sources of income and even cultural practices.

Displacement and Conflict due to climate change

Certain areas have become non habitable due to rising waters, land degradation, and extreme weather conditions which entail relocation towards or erratic movements. This is popularly known as ‘climate refugees’ and this creates new public health problems. Disease, malnourishment, and psychological trauma caused by traumatic events are common in these populations due to poor conditions when in refugee camps or while living in slums. Fighting over scarce water, usable land and other resources has been proven to worsen health and security.

Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies

It is globally agreed that addressing the health effects of climate change requires action towards both mitigation and adaptation. Mitigation entails avoiding increasing NICH emissions, while adaptation hopes to lessen the already present health risks tax. Putting resources into health infrastructure, with a focus on the high-risk areas, is important. Public health systems need also to prepare for the upcoming illnesses, enhance forecasting and response to natural disasters of extreme evil, enhance or increase the health of clean water and food security.

The Future of Health in a Changing Climate: The Newness of Threats and Problems

Social correlates of climate change are settling in, particularly health repercussions, which bring forth additional risks. Climate change has health impacts at the present, as one can see with many adverse health impacts; the future however sees more profound and fanned out perils. In particular, they observe serious outbreaks of diseases that are responsible for increasing mortality rates during intense heat. Since the policy goal here is to protect public health or minimize health loss, policy recommendations and environmental laws do not appear to anticipate climate changes in the next couple of decades.

One of the most eminent and most straightforward features of climate change is the increase in the number and intensity of heat waves. More people will face severe heat due to climate change as temperatures rise, which raises the probability of heat-related health complications. In the years to come, heat-related mortality will skyrocket even in the thickest of urban centers. It has been predicted that by the year 2100, heat waves will be so normal that those that are currently regarded as high temperature years will occur on a yearly basis.

Emergence of New Infectious Diseases

Global warming is most likely to lead to an increase in the number of cases of infectious diseases. This warming, and subsequent changes in ecosystems, are two principal reasons that cause the geographical range of vectors like mosquitoes. In the coming decades, diseases that have always been on the map of the tropics will move towards more temperate regions posing more challenges to underserved countries that do not want to experience these threats.

For example Southern Europe and some regions of North America may become endangered because diseases such as malaria and dengue fever which have been restricted to the subtropical regions will shift into those areas. In addition, generally within warmer climates there is going to be a greater incidence of Zika virus and chikungunya because the mosquitoes that transfer the diseases to people will thrive in other ecosystems. All these factors will elevate the emergence of vector-borne diseases that the healthcare systems in the areas that have not experienced such occurrences will have a heavy burden of readiness for early detection and management and vector control in areas that have not previously experienced such disease cases.

Deterioration in respiratory morbidity.

Climate change is further expected to affect air pollution on a global scale and especially the concentrations of pollutants such as ground ozone and fine particulates. Increased temperature along with increased economic activities or industrialization will result in higher air pollution which in turn will increase the rates of respiratory diseases including asthma chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and lung cancer. By the middle of the century, stomach related disorders attributed to air pollutants could drastically increase especially in countries where air regulating measures are poorly instituted and in overpopulated urban areas.

Moreover, warming temperatures will also lengthen and intensify pollen seasons, which lead to severe allergies and asthma. Reducing this burden and risk of health conditions in the future is going to require advanced systems that monitor air quality, implement public health strategies, and allow reasonable access to health care.

The Mental Health Strain Has Formed

The psychoclimatic factors that are associated with climate change are assumed to increase with the aggravation of the environmental stressors. Nature’s wrath will be witnessed by the future population in the form of mental health conditions related to climate change which include ecophrenia, trauma, depression, all resultant from phenomena such as flooding, displacements and loss of jobs unless government spending curbs it. According to projections, such areas as coastlines that are likely to be affected by sea level rise as a result of global warming risk suffering severe mental illness outbreaks because of a lot of natural catastrophes.

Within affected regions, the social consequences of mass removal of people – especially those that live behind, because of flooding areas or areas affected by drought – will put an even higher burden. Climate change will force people to migrate for environmental reasons and such movements will create health problems associated with relocation, cultural disintegration, and fear for future generations. Thus, the existing healthcare accordingly needs modification within reformulation of available therapeutic and rehabilitational technologies that include mental health within climate-related adaptation exposure to the population.

Food Insecurity and Malnutrition

It is likely that food systems will be disrupted in future, owing to climate change impact, and this will have dire consequences to human health. By the mid-21st century, however, such benefits are likely to be reversed due to climate change and the influences of global warming, too much erratic weather resulting in extreme events occurrence, and the worrying loss of arable land. This will aggravate the problem of food insecurity and malnutrition in the world especially in developing countries that are already facing food shortages.

Future scenarios of hunger within climate change is expected to heighten the probability that severe hunger will be widespread and agriculture production low due to protracted drought and shifting climatic patterns and seasons. Less access to nutritious foods will likely happen among vulnerable segments of the society and particularly children, causing higher incidence of malnutrition, poor growth, and more sickness because of the low functioning immune system. Food security system will depend on the improvements of agricultural practices, advancement of food systems to withstand shocks, and collaborative measures for food sustainability in vulnerable areas.

Water Scarcity and Related Diseases

It is fair to conclude that shortages in water will be a healthcare issue in the near future. Worse, Climate Change will still worsen inner dry lands, causing the water that is available to clean, drink and use for other activities to be reduced even more. Over 5 billion people around the world face water scarcity in 2050, with countries located in the sub Saharan Africa, middle east and south Asia being most affected.

A lack of water will mean that the incidences of water-related diseases such as cholera and other diarrhoeal diseases will increase because of the unsafe drinking sources available to the populations. In addition, the lack of adequate drinking water as well as simple hygienic conditions will create a natural home environment for various infections among the residents of densely populated cities. At this time, regulatory policies should be developed, aimed at protecting the health of the population from water resource depletion and improving the sewage system as well as preventing infections by water pathogens.

Health Inequities and Vulnerable Populations

Climate change affects people differently, exposing several inequities that become critical-future projections of climate change-related health inequities depict that such proportions of marginalized or low-income households may expand. The impact of climate change on health will be most visible in developing countries with low resources and poor health systems.

Indigenous people, rural residents, and in fact, people from small island countries are facing worse consequences of climate change such as relocations, extra exposure to extreme weather events, as well as poverty due to loss of jobs, and so on. In the context of climate change therefore, health equity must be central to future climate and health policy, namely in the context of resource and healthcare provision to vulnerable populations.

Building Towards a Climate Adaptable Approach to Health

Further, since it is evident that there is going to be an increase in the health effects of climate change in the future, then this will call for preparedness of all nations globally that is well coordinated. All stakeholders, specifically Governments, healthcare systems, and international organizations need to come up with climate-aware health systems that will withstand all the pressures that will be felt in the years to come. Major priorities for the coming years include:

Public health systems should aim to control new infectious diseases, extreme temperature illnesses, and lung ailments.

Great strategies in investing… restructuring these agricultural systems that is suitable to the… climate stress.

Face to face mental health services should be upheld in these areas as well as the communities back home that are affected by such climate changes.

Facilitating collaborations that address the health disparities to be able to respond in unison through measures targeting the resource-less areas last.

The global… A warming world presents an increased health burden to individuals especially in aging populations. This however has solutions. Making avoidance of the risk priority actions such as clean energy practices, incorporating climate adaptation into the health systems and equity addressing risk factors. Rather than negatives in health care.

Conclusion

In all likelihood, future generations will face multifaceted consequences of climate change regarding health, some even more worrisome than we have at present. The rising temperature, increase in pathogens and infectious diseases, deterioration of air quality, food and water scarcity and other adverse factors including psychosocial stressors will collectively lead to health challenges never encountered before unless an urgent and strategic response is implemented. We can lessen the intensity of these adverse effects by dealing with those issues in advance and help safeguard the health of the most at risk groups from the threats posed by climate change.

The impacts of climate change on health are vast and complex, touching on every dimension of the contemporary world. Physical effects such, respiratory and heat stress, effects together with food and nutrition issues through as well as direct mental health issues caused by climate change. Steps should be taken to slow down the emissions, enhance the health systems against the adverse effects of climate change on vulnerable people and ameliorate the emission of pollutants into the atmosphere. Whenever, then confronting such a disaster, simply any political relations, local people or private needs want to grasp climate by health interface.

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