Effects of Global Warming on Our Health

Global warming is one of the most discussed topics nowadays. As defined in the Oxford
Dictionary, Global warming is a gradual increase in the overall temperature of the
earth's atmosphere generally attributed to the greenhouse effect caused by increased
levels of carbon dioxide, chlorofluorocarbons, and other pollutants. The reason of its
being one of the most discussed topics is the harms caused by it. Global warming has
negative effects on many things, for example, the temperature, sea level, wildlife,
agriculture, etc. However, the topic we are going to discuss here is the health effects of
global warming.

The website un.org which is run by the United Nations has a concise discussion on the
effects of global warming on human health. First, it discusses how global warming
increases infectious diseases. It states, “global warming will worsen human health
conditions, especially in tropical regions. In places like Africa, an increase in
temperature signifies an increase in mosquito populations, thus escalating the risk of
malaria, dengue, and other insect-borne infections. Other regions are also affected. The
United States experienced varying levels of malaria outbreaks; in 2006, the United
Kingdom was plagued by an outbreak of legionnaires' diseases -- a bacterial lung
infection that scientists attribute to global warming. WHO states that global warming
will also cause a major increase in insect-borne diseases in Europe. Countries like
Azerbaijan, Tajikistan, and Turkey might already be in the danger zone for mosquito-
borne malaria.” Then the article discusses the effects of heatwaves on human health. A
prolonged period of excessive heat can impact the health of the old and sick population,
as it happened in Europe during the heatwave of 2003 which caused the death of 35000
people. Global warming can also cause asthma and other respiratory diseases as
mentioned in the article. As mentioned in the article, “people suffering from heart
problems are more vulnerable to increased temperatures, especially those living in
already warm areas, as their cardiovascular system must work harder to keep their body
cool. Hot temperatures increase the ozone concentration, which can damage people's
lung tissue and cause complications for asthma patients and those with lung diseases.”

There is another research paper by Antonella Rossati published in 2017 discusses the
health effects of global warming in a well-educative manner. In a table form, this article
mentions things that are caused by global warming, and how they, directly and
indirectly, affect human health. For example, global warming causes natural disasters
and extreme events. These things directly affect human health by causing deaths and
injuries, and indirectly affects human health through pollution, infection, and mental
illness. Global warming causes droughts. Droughts directly harm human health by
causing malnutrition, under-nutrition, impaired childhood development, and indirectly
harm human health by causing civil violence.

Afterward, the article discusses the effects of extreme events in little details. It says,
“The consequences in the immediate term are an increased mortality due to injuries,
while afterwards there could be an effect on water quality, which could be contaminated
by pathogens or chemicals. Floods have already been demonstrated to enhance the
contamination of water bodies by pesticides and are followed by outbreaks of infectious
diseases” Then it gave a little detail about the health effects of drought as well by
stating, “Recurrent famine due to drought led to widespread loss of livestock, population
displacement, and malnutrition in the Horn of Africa. In 2000, after three years of
drought, famine has placed an estimated 10 million persons at risk of starvation.
Malnutrition and measles were reported to be important causes of mortality among
people aged <14 years.”

So, we can see that besides all other harms caused by globals warming, it is also very
dangerous for our health. Therefore, we should be aware of these facts and make the
people aware as well, and of course, we all should learn about what causes global
warming and what we can do to prevent it.
 “The Health Effects Of Global Warming: Developing Countries Are The Most
Vulnerable.” United Nations, United Nations,
www.un.org/en/chronicle/article/health-effects-global-warming-developing-
countries-are-most-vulnerable.

The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. Oxford University Press, 2005.

Rossati, Antonella. “Global Warming and Its Health Impact.” Int J Occup Environ Med
(The IJOEM), www.theijoem.com/ijoem/index.php/ijoem/article/view/963/806.