Our planet, ourselves: Climate change and health

Follow me on Twitter @Peter_Grinspoon At first glance, climate change and personal health may not seem related. One is a global political and environmental concern, while the other deals ultimately with an individual’s well-being. However, climate change is already directly affecting human health in many parts of our world, including many areas of the United States. We are just beginning to understand, and to witness, the health effects of climate change. The problem with a warmer planet As human-made carbon dioxide levels in our atmosphere increase, we create a “greenhouse effect,” and our world warms. The three hottest years ever recorded in the United States were 2012, 2015, and 2016. As the temperatures rise, arctic ice sheets start to melt, and ocean levels rise. We’ve already seen coastal flooding in many parts of the world. Flooding leads to homelessness, dislocation, the spread of infectious diseases, poverty, and psychological trauma. Just think about the catastrophic flooding after Hurricane Katrina. Local healthcare resources were compromised and quickly overtaxed. Many of the neighborhoods in New Orleans are still trying to recover more than a decade later. As our earth warms, weather patterns become unstable, and violent storms become more frequent, as do droughts, heat waves, and forest fires. Super Storm Sandy, in 2012, killed hundreds of people and cost tens of billions of dollars in property damage. Scientists warn that with climate change...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Health Health care Source Type: blogs