Climate Change A Look On Public Health - 1261 Words

Bounds, Matthew Mrs. Dixon English Composition 3 November 2015 Climate Change: A Look on Public Health What will happen to the future of humanity if climate change is allowed to have its way with the human race? What disasters will climate change force upon civilization? Will the human race slowly be extinguished? What will happen to individual people as the Earth’s climate gets more and more violent? Climate change will affect the general public’s health; the only question is â€Å"How much?† Climate change’s effects are very real and some have even already started, Earth s surface temperature has already warmed more than 0.8  °C over the past century and roughly 0.6  ° C in the last 30 years. (Campbell-Lendrum) The main culprit is human†¦show more content†¦(Frumkin, Climate change and public health: thinking, communicating, acting.) â€Å"We [The CDC] expect to see an increase in the severity, duration, and frequency of extreme heat waves. Heat causes a range of health effects, from mild (heat cramps, heat exhaustion) to severe (such as heat stroke, which can be fatal). â€Å"Climate change will likely modify extreme weather events, such as floods, droughts, and heavy precipitation. In addition, some evidence suggests hurricanes could become more intense. The health effects of extreme weather events range from loss of life and acute trauma to indirect effects such as loss of home, large-scale population displacement and subsequent mental health effects, damage to sanitation infrastructure (drinking water and sewage systems), interruption of food production, and damage to the health-care infrastructure.† â€Å"Climate changes will likely affect air quality by modifying local weather patterns and pollutant concentrations, affecting natural sources of air pollution, and encourage the formation of ground-level ozone. Ozone can irritate the respiratory system, reduce lung function, aggravate asthma, and inflame and damage cells that line the lungs. In addition, it may cause permanent lung damage and aggravate chronic lung diseases.† â€Å"Altered weather patterns resulting from climate change could affect the distribution and incidence of food- and