UNIT 5 – CLIMATE CHANGE AND HUMAN HEALTH

IMPACT : IMPACT ON HEALTH AND DISEASE,

NUTRITION AND FOOD SECURITY

CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACT

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has

reported again and again on the grave effects of climate
change. After years of scientific research and debate as well
as efforts to mobilise governments across the world, global
leaders signed up to the Paris Agreement.
The Paris Agreement outlines how we can avoid the
irreversible and detrimental effects of climate change. This
will require commitment and tenacity – a lot of regions are
already experiencing climate change and if we are to ensure
that global temperatures do not rise above 2 degrees
Celsius we will need to act quickly and decisively. The
problem is that despite the rhetoric, actual government
policies will miss the 2-degree target.

How to fight Climate

Change? - Future of Green
industry
And while it is never a happy task to be the bearer of bad news or
to be always highlighting that efforts are falling short of meeting
targets; someone has to remind us of the bigger picture and what is
really at stake. So, let’s go over some of the grave effects of
climate change to the environment.

Environmental impacts of climate change

Climate change and diminishing food security
Rising temperatures are affecting our climate and as a
result, it affects our environment and the functions it
delivers. Such effect is not only important in terms of
preserving biodiversity and habitats, but it is also critical
for agricultural activity and food security. More
specifically, as soils become dryer with climate change, this
impacts nitrogen and carbon concentrations which are the
building blocks for plant growth.

What is more, climate change is likely to change the

landscape in many areas. Temperature and climate changes
can lead to the proliferation of pests, which can now inhabit
higher latitudes as those regions grow warmer. Some pests
will be able to reproduce more often because warm periods
will last longer.
For example, in the now beetle-infested forests of the Kenai
Peninsula of Alaska, the pine bark beetle often completes
two or three reproduction cycles per year instead of only
one.
One such key function is nutrient replenishment. Climate
change puts nutrient cycles at risk, which has a knock-on
effect on soil fertility.

Climate change and worse air pollution

Climate change also has an impact on air quality.
According to a recent study, by the end of the century,
more than half of the world’s population will be exposed to
increasingly stagnant atmospheric conditions, with the
tropics and subtropics bearing the brunt of the poor air
quality.
Air stagnation results from three meteorological incidents:
light winds, a stable lower atmosphere and a day with little
or no precipitation to wash away pollution. If greenhouse
gases were to rise significantly in the future, estimates
indicate that 55% of the global population will experience
more air stagnation by 2099.
Large areas of India, Mexico and the Amazon could see up
to 40 more stagnant air days per year compared to the
average annual tally from 1986 to 2005 [3].
Climate change and disappearing wildlife
One of the first things to be hit by the effects of climate
change is our wildlife.

Climate change and disappearing wildlife

One of the first things to be hit by the effects of climate
change is our wildlife. According to international experts,
global warming is likely to be the greatest cause of species
extinctions this century with estimates indicating that a
1.5°C average rise may put 20-30% of species at risk of
extinction.
What is particularly worrying is that it is not just individual
species that will be lost, but ecosystems as a whole will
suffer. A lot of our ecosystems are already straining to
adapt to deforestation and other types of pollution. The
impact of adapting to climate change is therefore likely to
be the straw to break the camel’s back.
If our ecosystems suffer, the valuable services they provide
will be compromised – these include clean air and water as
well as nutrient replenishment – the key to productive soils.
Some of the species that are threatened include iconic
animals which perform key functions in their own habitat.
For example, tigers (whose numbers in the wild have
already declined to as few as 3,200) will be at risk as
climate change is predicted to increase sea levels and the
risk of fire which will result in further fragmenting their
habitats.
Asian rhinos are another species at risk as climate change
will disrupt weather patterns in northern India and Nepal.
These rhinos depend on the annual monsoon to bring
sufficient and timely rain to replenish the vegetation they
feed on. A changing climate would disrupt this pattern and
lead to droughts followed by periods of floods.

Climate change and problems with water

quality
Climate change is having serious impacts on the world’s
water systems through flooding, droughts, as well as more
extreme rainfall patterns. This creates further pressures on
rivers and lakes that supply water for people and animals.
What is more, the world’s oceans are also put at risk.
Oceans are considered “carbon sinks” because they absorb
huge amounts of carbon dioxide, limiting its potential to
contribute to further global warming.
However, increased water temperatures and ever-increasing
carbon dioxides concentrations mean that oceans are
changing and becoming more acidic. This affects fish and
other marine organisms living there. Coral reefs are
particularly at risk. Sensitive coral species and algae are
starved of oxygen, which leads to a dramatic bleaching and
possibly even the death of the coral.
It is a sobering thought that only 5% one of the most
biodiverse and unique ecosystems in the world, Australia’s
Great Barrier Reef, will be still intact in 2050 .
In the end, we must keep reminding ourselves what climate
change and its impacts mean for our planet and our own
lives. Regrettably, climate change is not something we can
afford to ignore any longer.