The Adverse Impact of Climate Change

Climate change poses a growing threat to human health by disrupting the environment and food supply, changing patterns of disease, natural disasters, and more. In 2017 and 2018, the UN reported that climate change could become the biggest threat to human health in our lifetime if action is not taken immediately.

This article will explore the impact of climate change on human health, food security, and public health systems. We will also look at some of the major causes of climate change. 

Causes Of Climate Change

Climate change is a broad term that refers to any notable change in the Earth’s climate, including changes in temperature, precipitation, or wind patterns. The phrase “climate change” can also refer to the global-scale changes in the biosphere.

The most widely accepted theory of global warming is that it is caused by greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere as a result of human activity, such as burning fossil fuels and deforestation. Other causes include volcanic eruptions and variations in solar activity.

Greenhouse gases are natural gases that absorb and emit infrared radiation within the thermal infrared range emitted by Earth’s surface and atmosphere. Therefore, they do not allow heat to escape easily from Earth’s atmosphere into space. These gases include water vapor, carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), ozone (O3), chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) and perfluorocarbons (PFCs).

Climate Change: A Threat to Human Health in the 21st Century

The UN predicts that climate change will become the biggest threat to human health in the 21st century. The organization has been warning us about this for years. In 2017 and 2018, they published reports stating that the impact of climate change on public health is significant in all regions of the world. It can lead to increased rates of asthma-related deaths due to heat waves, more infectious diseases spreading as temperatures rise (including dengue fever), and even higher rates of mental illness among people who experience extreme weather events that trigger PTSD-like symptoms while destroying their homes or livelihoods.

Climate change poses a long-term threat to global food security and affects the magnitude, frequency, and distribution of food supply. However, the adverse impact of climate change on crops can be mitigated by adaptation measures such as crop diversification, crop rotation, use of improved seeds/seedlings/planting material. In addition to these measures, farmers also need input support for investing in innovative technologies that will enhance agricultural productivity through better management practices.

Natural Disasters and Climate Change

The most obvious factor contributing to natural disasters is climate change. Climate change can lead to more frequent and intense natural disasters, such as hurricanes, floods, and droughts. In addition, it can also lead to an increased risk of unpredictable natural disasters. For example, while the likelihood of a tsunami hitting your area may be low, climate change could increase that likelihood if it triggers earthquakes that cause tsunamis near your location.

The impact of climate change on health is immense. Some of the ways it affects overall well-being are: 

• Disasters themselves cause injury and death, especially when they are sudden and unexpected.
• Displacement of people into overcrowded camps exposes them to communicable diseases such as cholera.
• Disrupting basic requirements such as sanitation can lead to contaminated food and water supplies.

The Need for Adopting a Sustainable Lifestyle

Climate change is an urgent public health issue that affects everyone. It poses a long-term threat to global food security, affects the magnitude, frequency, and distribution of food supply, and changes where infected people live and how they live so they can spread disease more easily. Therefore, it is high time for conscious individuals to take drastic measures to reduce the adverse effects of climate change. Collectively, we can adopt certain practices that will lead to bigger positive changes over time.