Effect of Climate Change on People’s Health
“Climate Change you must
not ignore or the future might be no more!”
Climate Change is a change in
global or regional climate patterns. In particular a change apparent from the
mid to late 20th century onwards and attributed largely to the
increased levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) produced by the use of
fossil fuels. It can also be defined as any significant long-term change in the
expected patterns of average weather of a region (or the whole Earth) over a
significant period of time. Climate change is about abnormal variations to the
climate, and the effects of these variations on other parts of the Earth. Ice ages are prominent examples.
Climate Change occurs when
changes in Earth’s climate system result in new weather patterns that last for
at least a few decades, and maybe for millions of years also. Over the years
heat-trapping gases called greenhouse gases (GHGs) have increased in the
atmosphere, thus making hotter day by day. There are some human-made greenhouse
gases such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and halons, which destroy the ozone
layer and are called Ozone Depleting Substances. Higher concentration of these
gases in the Earth’s atmosphere has resulted in it being warmed up to a great
extent. It has led to a gradual rise in global temperatures, which is referred
to as global warming. The concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2) in our
atmosphere, as of 2018, is the highest it has been in 3 million years!
An analysis of daily weather
conditions like temperature, rainfall, humidity, cloud cover and sunshine of a
place over a period of 30 to 35 years is done to determine the climate of the
place. Human health has always been influenced by climate. These
can be either negative or positive effects. Climatic
changes in Siberia, for
instance, are expected to improve food production and local economic activity,
at least in the short to medium term. Whereas, Bangladesh has experienced an
increase in climate-sensitive diseases such as malaria, dengue, childhood
diarrhoea, and pneumonia, among vulnerable communities. Numerous
studies suggest, however, that the current and future impacts of
climate change on human society are and
will continue to be overwhelmingly negative.
Some effects of climate change
are:-
Solar Radiation-The rate at
which Sun’s energy is received and the rate at which it is dispersed in the
space decides the equilibrium temperature and climate of our planet. The winds,
ocean currents and other mechanisms carry this energy around the globe thereby
impacting the climatic conditions of different regions. Long-term as well as
short-term changes in solar intensity have an impact on the global climate.
Volcanic Eruption-The volcanic
eruptions that are known to impact the Earth’s climate are the ones that erupt
more than 100,000 tons of SO2 in the stratosphere. Such eruptions occur a
number of times in a century and have a cooling effect on the Earth’s
atmosphere for the next few years as it partly blocks the transmission of solar
radiation to the Earth’s surface.
Orbital Variations
Even slight changes in the
Earth’s orbit cause modifications in the seasonal distribution of sunlight
received on its surface. There are three types of orbital changes – changes in
the Earth’s eccentricity, precession of The Earth’s axis and modification in
the tilt angle of the Earth’s axis of rotation. Together these three lead to
Milankovitch cycles that have a huge effect on the climate.
Plate Tectonics
The motion of tectonic plates
reconfigures the land and oceans on the Earth and generates topography over a
period of millions of years. This, in turn, leads to a change in the global
climatic conditions.
0 Comments