GLOBAL WARMING-GLOBAL WARNING
Mother earth is deteriorating. Our earth is getting warmer and warmer. Eleven of the last twelve years (1995 -2006) rank among the 12 warmest years in the instrumental record of global surface temperature (since 1850). These trends in global warming does not only affect the rich, but we the poorest too. Unlike a disease it has no specification and no target at all. Global average sea level rose at an average rate of 1.8 [1.3 to 2.3] mm per year over 1961 to 2003. The rate was faster over 1993 to 2003, about 3.1 [2.4 to 3.8] mm per year. The melting of the polar ice caps, the Himalayas threaten the source of the greatest reservoir of fresh water in the form of ice, if they melt away. Such a tragedy would increase the sea level, drowning many cities, destroying millions of cultivated lands, extreme floods in the rivers followed by a series of droughts, extreme climate, extreme cold and heat waves.
Impact of global warming on human health.
A report in the journal Science in June 2002 described the alarming increase in the outbreaks and epidemics of diseases throughout the land and ocean based wildlife due to climate changes. One of the authors points out that, “Climate change is disrupting natural ecosystems in a way that is making life better for infectious diseases.”
Global warming will have many impacts on human health
The most obvious impact of global warming will be the direct effects: a warmer planet will experience more extreme heatwaves. As seen in Europe in 2003, heatwaves often lead to an increase in the number of human deaths, particularly in temperate countries where people are often not accustomed to very hot weather and where houses and other infrastructure are not designed to cope with it. It is estimated that there are currently about 1100 heat-related deaths per year.
Most computer models generated by scientists indicate that the future climate will be more variable than in the past, and that droughts and floods will be more severe. Some of the health effects of weather-related disasters, in addition to the immediate death and injury to people and damage to property, include:
* increases in psychological stress, depression, and feelings of isolation amongst people affected by natural disasters;
* decreases in nutrition due to poorer agricultural yields caused, for example, by prolonged drought and problems of food distribution;
* increases in disease transmission due to a breakdown in sewerage and garbage services. For example, cholera is one disease that thrives in such situations, particularly when flooding causes the contamination of drinking water by sewerage systems.
*Infectious diseases-Many infectious diseases are dependent on vector organisms, which are sensitive to environmental factors and therefore will be affected by global warming. Biological modelling under various climate scenarios suggests a widening of the potential transmission zone of some disease-causing pathogens and their vectors, such as mosquitoes. Food- and water-borne diseases are also susceptible to climate change
Mother earth is deteriorating. Our earth is getting warmer and warmer. Eleven of the last twelve years (1995 -2006) rank among the 12 warmest years in the instrumental record of global surface temperature (since 1850). These trends in global warming does not only affect the rich, but we the poorest too. Unlike a disease it has no specification and no target at all. Global average sea level rose at an average rate of 1.8 [1.3 to 2.3] mm per year over 1961 to 2003. The rate was faster over 1993 to 2003, about 3.1 [2.4 to 3.8] mm per year. The melting of the polar ice caps, the Himalayas threaten the source of the greatest reservoir of fresh water in the form of ice, if they melt away. Such a tragedy would increase the sea level, drowning many cities, destroying millions of cultivated lands, extreme floods in the rivers followed by a series of droughts, extreme climate, extreme cold and heat waves.
Impact of global warming on human health.
A report in the journal Science in June 2002 described the alarming increase in the outbreaks and epidemics of diseases throughout the land and ocean based wildlife due to climate changes. One of the authors points out that, “Climate change is disrupting natural ecosystems in a way that is making life better for infectious diseases.”
Global warming will have many impacts on human health
The most obvious impact of global warming will be the direct effects: a warmer planet will experience more extreme heatwaves. As seen in Europe in 2003, heatwaves often lead to an increase in the number of human deaths, particularly in temperate countries where people are often not accustomed to very hot weather and where houses and other infrastructure are not designed to cope with it. It is estimated that there are currently about 1100 heat-related deaths per year.
Most computer models generated by scientists indicate that the future climate will be more variable than in the past, and that droughts and floods will be more severe. Some of the health effects of weather-related disasters, in addition to the immediate death and injury to people and damage to property, include:
* increases in psychological stress, depression, and feelings of isolation amongst people affected by natural disasters;
* decreases in nutrition due to poorer agricultural yields caused, for example, by prolonged drought and problems of food distribution;
* increases in disease transmission due to a breakdown in sewerage and garbage services. For example, cholera is one disease that thrives in such situations, particularly when flooding causes the contamination of drinking water by sewerage systems.
*Infectious diseases-Many infectious diseases are dependent on vector organisms, which are sensitive to environmental factors and therefore will be affected by global warming. Biological modelling under various climate scenarios suggests a widening of the potential transmission zone of some disease-causing pathogens and their vectors, such as mosquitoes. Food- and water-borne diseases are also susceptible to climate change
Role of everyday men to prevent global warming
Get Educated: Educate yourself about Global warming. You won’t be able to tell other people about it if you don’t have knowledge of the topic yourself!
Change a light. Replacing a regular light bulb with a compact fluorescent one saves 150 pounds of carbon dioxide each year.
Drive less. Walk, bike, carpool, take mass transit, and/or trip chain. All of these things can help reduce gas consumption and one pound of carbon dioxide for each mile you do not drive.
Recycle more and buy recycled. Save up to 2,400 pounds of carbon dioxide each year just by recycling half of your household waste
Check your tires. Properly inflated tires mean good gas mileage. For each gallon of gas saved, 20 pounds of carbon dioxide are also never produced.
Use less hot water. It takes a lot of energy to heat water. Reducing the amount used means big savings in not only your energy bills, but also in carbon dioxide emissions. Using cold water for your wash saves 500 pounds of carbon dioxide a year, and using a low flow showerhead reduces 350 pounds of carbon dioxide. Make the most of your hot water by insulating your tank and keeping the temperature at or below 120.
Avoid products with a lot of packaging. Preventing waste from being created in the first place means that there is less energy wasted and fewer resources consumed..
Plant trees. A single tree can absorb one ton of carbon dioxide over its lifetime.
Turn off electronic devices when not in use.
Stay informed. stay informed about environmental issues, and share your knowledge with others.
We, as an individual, have the chance to fight for our future generations, and must act fast. The trend is changing, are we going to watch our mother earth die before our very own eyes!
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