How Climate Change Affects Human Health

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How Climate Change Affects Human Health
Over the last 50 years, human activities – particularly the burning of fossil fuels – have released sufficient quantities of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases to trap additional heat in the lower atmosphere and affect the global climate. In the last 100 years, the world has warmed by approximately 0.75°C. Over the last 25 years, the rate of global warming has accelerated, at over 0.18°C per decade.
Sea levels are rising, glaciers are melting and precipitation patterns are changing. Extreme weather events are becoming more intense and frequent. (WHO) Scientists from the University of Hawaii at Manoa calculated that by 2047, plus or minus five years, the average temperatures in each year
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Heat and drought are amongst the deadliest natural disasters. A study that reviewed weather disasters in the United States since 1980 found the top two killers were heat waves and the drought that comes with them. And heat waves may be getting worse. A study in 2007 found heat waves in Europe are nearly twice as long as they were 100 years ago. The region was struck with a mega heat wave in 2003 that killed about 70,000 people. Such mega heat waves could increase by a factor of 5 to 10 in the area, a recent study found. Next, the improper use of land coupled with climate variations may lead to an increase in global desertification, or the degradation of soil in dry areas. When we try to take from an ecosystem more than it can give we risk reducing the productivity of the ecosystem to ever lower levels. Ultimately we may destroy it altogether for a period of one or several generations. (Gallant) A 2010 study found 38 percent of the world is made up of arid areas at risk for desertification. Once degraded, the soil becomes unproductive. This may limit the land that can be used for agriculture to feed the world's growing population. Global desertification could also boost growth of harmful bacteria in the ocean. Desert dust supplies iron to the ocean, which many marine organisms need to live. A study presented at this year's meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in February found desert dust fueled the growth of Vibrios, a group
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