Why Climate Change Is The Most Important Global Health Issue Of Our Time

The average temperature on Earth has risen by 1.5°F (0.85°C) over the last hundred years, and is set to go up by an additional 0.5 to 8.6°F over the next century. Climate change is, despite the deniers' loud cries, all too real, something the news reminds you of on a near-daily basis. We all know that this isn't good — but what could it mean for the health of Earth's population in general, and what could it mean for your own health, your children's, and your grandchildren's? 

A lot, as it happens. 

The Impact Of Extreme Weather Events

As the climate is changing, we're seeing more and more extreme weather — one of the most directly noticeable impacts of climate change in today's world. When looked at in isolation, these events may appear to be nothing more than bad luck, but try to see the big picture, and you're in for a shock. More and worse wildfires in Australia, drought in Russia, floods in Pakistan, a typhoon in the Philippines... and that's only the start.

Immediate death and injury is one of the most apparent consequences of this increase in extreme weather events. However, as sea levels and temperatures continue to rise, the long-term looks even bleaker. Whole areas may become uninhabitable — island nations in Oceania may be submerged completely, with other areas being struck as well, it may no longer be possible to produce crops in areas suffering severe drought, and severe air pollution could be forcing people to leave badly affected cities.

Malnutrition and a lack of access to food currently costs a grand total of 3.1 million people their lives every single year, and that figure can only rise as farming becomes more challenging in dry areas or flooded areas. Heavy rainfall can additionally compromise the accessibility of safe drinking water, leading to outbreaks of diarrhea, which, as unbelievable as it may sound to people in developed countries, currently kills 760,000 children under five on an annual basis.

How Climate Change Affects Your Cardiovascular And Respiratory Health

The WHO points out that extremely high temperatures contribute to cardiovascular and respiratory condition-related deaths, noting that during "the heat wave of summer 2003 in Europe for example, more than 70,000 excess deaths were recorded". The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, too, note that many cities in the United States have seen significant increases in heat-related deaths, mainly from:

• Heat stroke and related conditions
• Cardiovascular conditions
• Respiratory disease (including asthma)
• Cerebrovascular disease

CO2 emissions contribute to air pollution directly, that much is obvious, but rising temperatures are also responsible for a boost in ozone levels, a higher concentration of dust particles in drier areas, and — an increase in pollen. What? Pollen?

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This means that people who already suffer from pollen allergies will suffer more, but also that we'll see more allergies in future. The world is becoming a place where we'll see much more asthma — a disease that already currently affects a grand total of 300 million people worldwide, according to the World Health Organization. Exactly how much the prevalence of asthma will rise remains to be seen, with the World Health Organization not currently providing estimated numbers.

How Will Climate Change Impact Vector-Spread And Water-Borne Diseases?

Vector-spread disease, so through mosquitoes, fleas, ticks and the like, rises with climate change. The CDC points out that daily, seasonal and yearly climate variations can make vectors more adaptable and "hardier" — less easy to kill. In addition, as the world heats, diseases currently confined to warmer areas will have the chance to gain a foothold in areas where they are not currently present. Then, if climate change causes the predators of vectors that spread diseases to decline in number, vectors will thrive. As humans migrate in search of more livable conditions, these diseases will be transmitted more easily.

The WHO estimates that, with time, climate change will be responsible for an additional 60,000 deaths from malaria alone each year, while the CDC warns that vector-borne diseases like "chikungunya, Chagas disease, and Rift Valley fever viruses" now pose a threat to the US.

Water-borne diseases, too, will be able to thrive in a world with higher temperatures and sea levels.

Heavy rainfall can make maintaining sewage systems in a hygienic manner much more of a challenge, contributing to the spread of infectious diseases. Higher temperatures, meanwhile, create an environment in which the micro-organisms that lead to disease thrive. Diseases spread through drinking water, water used for washing, and water used for recreational purposes include Schistosomaisis, Giardiasis, Cholera and Typhoid. Consequences range from diarrhea, to different cancers, and respiratory diseases. All can be deadly.

Droughts can contribute to the spread of infection by creating higher concentrations of pathogens inside water treatment plants, whole even pathogens previously locked inside the now melting Polar ice caps pose a threat.

And There's More...

Exposure to increased air pollution causes lung cancer rates to rise, while being exposed to more UV rays as the ozone layer disappears will create a rise in skin cancer cases. Skin cancer rates have doubled every seven to eight years over the last four decades, a trend that is set to continue. Environmental factors including malnutrition and exposure to chemicals and toxins is also known to play a role in neurological disorders including Alzheimer's Disease and Parkinson's Disease. 

If that sounds like a pessimistic prognosis for the future of humanity, that's because it is. Barack Obama has reminded people that "no challenge poses a greater threat to our future than a changing climate" and that "we’re the first generation to feel the impact of climate change, and the last generation that can do something about it". 

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It's time to stop sticking our heads in the sand. It's time to recognize that, while we may not fall prey to the terrible consequences of climate change ourselves, future generations will. The solution begins with the universal recognition that climate change will soon affect each and every one of us in ways far more invasive than spring whether in the middle of the winter.