Climate Change and Human Health

AUTHOR: Srileka Karthikeyan

Our world is evolving - and so is our climate, which has a huge effect on our health. The environment, surroundings, and climate are related to our health and well-being. Whether it is by increasing temperatures, water shortages, weather frequency, or high pollution, climate change contributes to the deterioration of our health. According to the United Nations, by 2030-2050, climate change could cause 250,000 additional deaths from malnutrition, malaria, heat stress, and more. 

As humans continue to exploit the planet for its resources, climate change is bound to be on the rise, and so is our health. 

One way climate change can affect human health is through severe, frequent weather events. Due to rising temperatures, climate change has an impending effect on our weather, drastically increasing the severity of weather events such as extreme precipitation, flooding, droughts, and storms. EPA states that these extreme weather storms could reduce the availability of drinking water, damage infrastructure such as hospitals, create worsening mental health impacts, and contribute to deaths from weather accidents. 

Resources such as water can easily be contaminated due to volatile weather forecasts and increase the risk of illness. When people are exposed to contaminated water, the chances of illness can escalate. According to the EPA, “Climate change increases the risk of illness through increasing temperature, more frequent heavy rains and runoff, and the effects of storms. Health impacts may include gastrointestinal illness like diarrhea, effects on the body's nervous and respiratory systems, or liver and kidney damage.” Due to climate change’s effect on weather patterns, these weather patterns also have a ripple effect on resources like water, which is necessary for human consumption. 

Along with poor water quality, changes in air quality due to climate change drastically impact human life. All living organisms depend on air to live, but increased air pollution due to human exploitation of energy and production methods has tainted our air quality. These effects on air quality have not only changed human lives, but they’ve also endangered many animals' livelihoods. According to Climate Change Chicago.com, causes such as warmer temperatures and changes in weather patterns can negatively impact our air quality. The effects of low air quality on human lives are endless, primarily related to respiratory and cardiovascular health effects. (Climatechange.chicago.com)

Low air quality can also be attributed to natural causes, such as wildfires, however, wildfires are linked back to climate change. As climate change affects our environment, the average temperature in many areas has drastically increased, leading to hotter days. The increase in heat can further exacerbate the likelihood of wildfires harming the environment. Climate Change Chicago reports that hotter temperatures can increase heat-related deaths in the US, with numbers ranging from tens to thousands each year. 

It’s undeniable that climate change has drastic negative effects on our environment, affecting our everyday lives. Humans’ exploitation of energy and production methods using natural resources has tainted our environment. Such effects on our environment are poor water quality, decreasing air quality, increasing temperatures, and so much more. These effects lead to a decrease in the overall quality of life for humans. Thousands of people die every year due to issues such as respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, malaria, heat-related deaths, and many more. These effects will continue across generations if we don’t take charge and stop the rise of climate change.

CITATIONS:

https://climatechange.chicago.gov/climate-impacts/climate-impacts-human-health#ref1