| Overview |
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| Extreme Weather Events & Pollution |
| Water & Food-Borne |
| Vector & Rodent-Borne |
| Criticism & Policy Perspectives |
| References |
Changing Expectations on Disease:
How Climate Change is Affecting Human Health
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With the global climate changing, we have become aware of a number of ecosystems and species which are being threatened; however, the next species on the list may be our own. Previously, polluted systems were noted for their local impact, but now we are faced with a global response from our collective pollution and destruction of the environment (Moreno 2006). What is this change that is being observed? Climate not only encompasses temperature and precipitation, but is the sum of all elements which affect the atmosphere, oceans, and earth (Britannica Concise Encyclopedia 2006). Changes in climate have been observed with an average 0.6°C increase in global temperature and in ecosystems with the sea level increasing by 1-2 cm every decade (Patz & Olson 2006). It is even expected that overall global temperatures may increase by 5.8°C by 2100 (Patz & Olson 2006). These rates are expected to increase dramatically with the continued accumulation of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere such as CO2, methane, and halocarbons. Concurrent with these changes in temperature and sea levels, we are observing greater variability in weather events and life cycles of many organisms which in turn significantly affect human health. Researchers are earnestly collecting data to understand what factors are manipulating disease incidence humans so that relationships can be confirmed and models formed. These global changes may not seem significant, but the World Health Organization (WHO) put forward that over 150,000 deaths annually can be attributed to climate change (Patz and Olson 2006). At the top of this page the map provided by WHO provides a visual representation of which regions are most significantly affected.
Source: McMichael et al. 2006 On this webpage it is hoped to provide an informative overview of how current climate change is exhibiting itself in human health cycles. Diseases are broken up by the major means of transference. In Extreme Weather and Pollution it is observed how temperature increases and how variable weather cycles are significantly affecting morbidity and mortality rates. As well, there is a focus upon instances of increased Water and Food-Borne Illness and the efforts to better model these situations which secondarily stem from temperature and precipitation increases. Lastly, there is examination of Vector and Rodent-Borne Illness, which by far has garnered the most attention through their severe presence in developing nations. It should be noted, however, that current research is not perfect and there have been many criticisms. Noting these criticisms policy directions will be recommended to better protect the populations which are most affected by these changes and solidify the understanding of the climate-disease relationship in these regions. The second chart of this page is helpful summary of the known mechanisms between climate change and disease.
