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What Are Three Ways Global Warming Is Affecting Our Health?

Global warming is largely accepted as a very real threat to mankind, thanks to the International Panel on Climate Change's 2007 report and the Stern report a year earlier. Both highlight the impact that climate change will have on the world around us, and in particular highlight how it will affect the health of mankind.

  1. Extreme Weather

    • One of the most noticeable effects of climate change is extreme weather. The unpredictable nature of weather makes it difficult to link each major event specifically with climate change, but Alternate Energy Sources notes that only 20 great natural disasters took place worldwide from 1950 to 1959. The site counts 89 from 1990 to 1999, including wildfires, cyclones, flooding, drought and mudslides.

      Rainfall in the United States also has increased by 7 percent since 1970. All of this can cause severe loss of human life, while the prolonged suffering caused by food shortages and disease also will affect health.

    Water Level

    • A worldwide 20 cm rise in ocean water levels between 1880 and 2000 has been recorded, posing a threat to low-level islands, such as those off the coast of Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands in the Pacific. This is caused by melting glacier ice and the expansion of ocean water as it increases in temperature.

      As the water encroaches on the land, indigenous populations of humans need to be evacuated and floods are common. Where evacuation doesn't occur, disease often spreads in areas of standing water.

    Food Supply

    • Food is one of the necessities of human health, but the world could face a shortage if global warming continues. Drought and flooding can destroy crops, while wild weather and the spread of disease can kill off livestock. With an ever-increasing population, the world cannot afford to lose these valuable resources.

      Extreme droughts also reduce the amount of water available to humans, another necessity for life and good health. As in the European famine of 1315 to 1317, a shortage of food and drink is usually followed by social unrest and crime as everyone fends for themselves.

    The Good News

    • Global warming does have some positive effects for human health. While some areas will be almost destroyed by rising water levels and extreme weather, others could improve markedly. Warmer winters will reduce cold-related deaths in northern regions, while warmer summers will increase the time that crops can be grown. These will take place only in areas that are below-average in temperature.

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