Climate change and its impact on human health -by Rudra Tiwari, Dehradun, India

 

Climate change and its impact on human health

What is climate change?

Over the geological time, the climate of Earth is changing and the global average temperature today is about 15C. However, according to the geological evidence it has been much higher and lower in the past. The current period of warming is occurring more rapidly in comparison to many past events.

The rapid human-induced warming leads to natural fluctuation or variability and has a serious implication for the stability of Earth’s climate that leads to the greenhouse effect.

The way the earth’s atmosphere traps the energy from the sun is known as the greenhouse effect.  The Solar energy is absorbed by atmospheric greenhouse gases and re-emitted in all directions instead of radiating back out to space from the surface of the Earth. It heats the lower atmosphere of the Earth for it to be survival of living organism. If there is no greenhouse effect then Earth would be at least 30C colder making it hostile to life.

The Scientists believe we are adding to the natural greenhouse effect with gases released from industry and agriculture (known as emissions), trapping more energy and increasing the temperature. This is commonly referred to as global warming or climate change. The most important greenhouse gas that contributes to warming of the Earth is water vapour and it persists in the atmosphere for only a few days with little concentration. The other greenhouse gas CO2 persists for a longer time and it takes hundred years for it to return to pre-industrial level.

Burning fossil fuels and cutting down carbon-absorbing forests leads to most of the man-made emission and there is so much CO2 that it can be soaked up by natural reservoirs such as the oceans. Though other greenhouse gases such as methane and nitrous oxide are also released through human activities, it is small as compared to carbon dioxide. Since the time of industrial revolution in 1750, CO2 level has risen more than 30% and methane level to 140%.  The concentration of CO2 is now higher than at any time in at least 800,000 years in the atmosphere.

According to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) climate change is a change of climate that is attributed directly or indirectly to human activity, which alters the composition of the global atmosphere. The pollution that arises from the industrial activity and other sources that produce greenhouse gases is included in human activity.   These gases can absorb the spectrum of infrared light and contribute to the warming of our atmosphere and once produced, they can remain trapped in the atmosphere for tens or hundreds of years.

The gases that contribute to global warming are as follows:

Carbon Dioxide (CO2)

It is primarily produced due to burning of fossil fuels like oil, natural gas, and coal, solid waste, trees and wood. Man-made activities like deforestation and soil degradation adds to carbon dioxide to the atmosphere. The carbon dioxide is not destroyed over time and it can be in the atmosphere for a lifetime cannot be represented with a single value. The gas moves among different parts of the ocean–atmosphere–land system and the excess is absorbed by natural processes. However, traces of it remains in the atmosphere for thousands of years and is transferred to ocean sediments.

Methane

Methane is emitted during the production and transport of oil, coal and natural gas to the atmosphere. It is also emitted from livestock and agricultural practices and due to the anaerobic decay of organic waste in municipal solid waste landfills. The average lifetime of the gas in the atmosphere is 12.4 years

Nitrous oxide

It is emitted in the atmosphere during agricultural and industrial activities. It is also emitted during the combustion of fossil fuels and solid waste. It can stay in the atmosphere for 121 years

Fluorinated gases

These are a group of gases that contain fluorine, like hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons, and sulfur hexafluoride, and other chemicals. They are not emitted naturally but from a variety of industrial processes and commercial and household. They are sometimes used as substitutes for ozone-depleting substances like chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs).

Effects of substances like chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) on the human health are as follows:

Chlorofluorocarbons or CFCs are non-combustible liquids that are frequently used as refrigerants, aerosol propellants, and cleaning products. However, the scientists have discovered that CFCs has caused the depletion of the ozone layer, since then they have been phased out. However, the old refrigerators and other devices that use CFCs are still be in use at many places like in the developing countries. CFC is very harmful to human health, through inhalation, digestion or other physical contact, as well as from exposure to the skin.

It can lead to skin cancer and eye damage as they contribute greatly to the loss of the protective ozone layer that blocks ultraviolet rays from the sun. Now when, we spend too much time in this direct sunlight it can cause skin cancer. The study by the University of Georgia, it was found that one in five Americans develop skin cancer. Apart from skin cancer, some individuals experience premature aging that is the skin becoming wrinkled, thick or leathery from too much sun exposure. It can cause eye damage like cataracts, macular degeneration and others.

When CFC is inhaled by someone it affects the central nervous system of the body. This is according to a study by the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Sciences. As a result of the intoxication it is similar to alcohol intake which includes lightheadedness, headaches, tremors and convulsions. It can also disturb heart rhythm, which may lead to death. When exposed to a large amount of CFCs it causes asphyxiation, says the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Though ingestion and skin contact, CFCs can also come into contact of humans. When CFC is interacted with the skin it can lead to skin irritation, or dermatitis. According to the study by the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Sciences, when exposed to pressurized CFCs, such as that from a refrigerant leak, can cause frostbite on the skin. When CFC ingested it can cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or other upset to the digestive tract of the human being.

CFC can lead to immune system deficiency of a human being. As the direct exposure of CFC can lead to central nervous system breakdown it can also impair the human immune system. The problems include difficulty in breathing or injury to the heart, kidneys and liver. According to the University of Georgia, overexposure to the sun rays suppresses the overall immune function or natural defenses of the skin.

The direct and indirect health consequences of climate change

It may rise in rates of mortality and diseases that is caused by the extreme weather events like floods, droughts, tsunamis, heat-waves and other disasters. It may kill thousands of people of developed and developing worlds. Asian tsunami of 2004 killed over 280,000 people and the 2003 European heat-wave killed 15,000 people in France alone.

 

Though the disasters like these make the headlines of the effects of climate change, the indirect health consequences are just as important. For example, the high temperatures pose a major health risks to the people from the older age and for people who work outside like the farmers and builders will suffer from heat exhaustion and stroke. The temperature and rainfall increase can cause many killer diseases like malaria and cholera. The mosquitos thrive in hot and humid climate that carries the malaria virus. Climate change is likely to make that climate more common.

 

Malnutrition and mental health

The result of climate change is on human society and economic development. Experts think that it can lead to the rising rates of malnutrition and mental health. In the developing countries, malnutrition is increasing due to the failing of crops and that happening due to the extreme weather and climate change. The drought and flood that comes in cycles in West Africa are making it harder for subsistence farmers to grow enough food and to feed their families. As when the rain comes, it washes the topsoil away, and degrades the land, and it becomes more difficult to cultivate crops in the future. As a result of that, people go hungry and children in particular suffer from malnourishment.

 

Climate change also has a huge impact on mental health. Though it is a relatively new field of enquiry, it should not be underestimated in any case. These people who have survived droughts, floods, tropical storms and other extreme weather events, they often lose their homes and their families as a result of which they can experience post-traumatic stress disorder. That leads to severe depression and other mental health problems. In the developing countries, the impacts of climate change are most severe. This is because there is less access to mental health services and thus most of the symptoms go untreated and unchecked.

How to stop climate change?

There are many solutions that are currently encouraged to reduce the emission of carbon dioxide on the atmosphere. We need to swap the old lightbulbs for more efficient ones. The reduction of less than .2 tons of carbon emissions per year can make a lot of difference. The goal should be to prevent the most catastrophic impact of climate change. We need to understand that carbon dioxide worst enemy of the climate. When oil, coal, and other fossil fuels are burned for energy it is released. This is that energy that we use to power our homes, cars, and smartphones. We can curb our own contribution to climate change by using less of it and also save money.

When we save water it reduces carbon pollution as well and that is because it takes a lot of energy to pump, heat, and treat your water that you finally use for bathing and other consumption. We can take shorter showers, turn off the tap while we are brushing teeth, and switch to WaterSense-labeled fixtures and appliances to save water. If just one out of every 100 American homes retrofitted with water-efficient fixtures, we can save about 100 million kilowatt-hours of electricity per year. That would avoid 80,000 tons of global warming pollution

References:

What is climate change? (2017, October 04). Retrieved December 10, 2017, from http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-24021772

Simon-Lewis, A. (2017, October 18). What is climate change? The definition, causes and effects. Retrieved December 10, 2017, from http://www.wired.co.uk/article/what-is-climate-change-definition-causes-effects

What Effects do Chlorofluorocarbons Have on Humans? (n.d.). Retrieved December 10, 2017, from https://sciencing.com/effects-chlorofluorocarbons-humans-7053.html

Climate Impacts on Human Health. (2017, January 13). Retrieved December 10, 2017, from https://19january2017snapshot.epa.gov/climate-impacts/climate-impacts-human-health_.html

Pierre-Louis, K. (2017, July 12). Here's how you can actually help stop climate change. Retrieved December 10, 2017, from https://www.popsci.com/how-to-stop-climate-change#page-5

Denchak, M. (2017, September 29). How You Can Stop Global Warming. Retrieved December 10, 2017, from https://www.nrdc.org/stories/how-you-can-stop-global-warming