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Some o
f these impacts, like stronger hurricanes and severe heat waves, could be life t
hreatening. Others, like spreading weeds, will be less serious. And some effects
, like longer growing seasons for crops, might even be good! However, as the Ear
th keeps getting warmer, the negative effects are expected to outweigh the posit
ive ones.
The more we learn about how climate change will affect people and the environmen
t, the more we can see why people need to take action to reduce the greenhouse g
as emissions that are causing climate change. We can also take steps to prepare
for the changes we know are coming.
Climate change has brought about possibly permanent alterations to our planet s ge
ological, biological and ecological systems.[1] The Intergovernmental Panel on C
limate Change (IPCC) contended in 2003 that there is new and stronger evidence th
at most of the warming observed over the last 50 years is attributable to human
activities .[2] These changes have led to the emergence of large-scale environment
al hazards to human health, such as extreme weather,[3] ozone depletion, increas
ed danger of wildland fires,[4] loss of biodiversity,[5] stresses to food-produc
ing systems and the global spread of infectious diseases.[2] The World Health Or
ganization (WHO) estimates that 160,000 deaths, since 1950, are directly attribu
table to climate change.[6] Many believe this to be a conservative estimate.[7]
To date, a neglected aspect of the climate change debate, much less research has
been conducted on the impacts of climate change on health, food supply, economi
c growth, migration, security, societal change, and public goods, such as drinki
ng water, than on the geophysical changes related to global warming. Human impac
ts can be both negative and positive. Climatic changes in Siberia, for instance,
are expected to improve food production and local economic activity, at least i
n the short to medium term. Numerous studies suggest, however, that the current
and future impacts of climate change on human society are and will continue to b
e overwhelmingly negative.[8][9]
The majority of the adverse effects of climate change are experienced by poor an
d low-income communities around the world, who have much higher levels of vulner
ability to environmental determinants of health, wealth and other factors, and m
uch lower levels of capacity available for coping with environmental change. A r
eport on the global human impact of climate change published by the Global Human
itarian Forum in 2009, estimated more than 300,000 deaths and about $125 billion
in economic losses each year, and indicating that most climate change induced m
ortality is due to worsening floods and droughts in developing countries.[10] Th
is also raises questions of climate justice, since the 50 least developed countr
ies of the world account for not more than 1% of worldwide emissions of greenhou
se gases.[11]
A changing climate impacts our health and wellbeing. The major public health org
anizations of the world have said that climate change is a critical public healt
h problem. Climate change makes many existing diseases and conditions worse, but
it may also help introduce new pests and pathogens into new regions or communit
ies. As the planet warms, oceans expand and the sea level rises, floods and drou
ghts become more frequent and intense, and heat waves and hurricanes become more
severe. The most vulnerable people children, the elderly, the poor, and those wit
h underlying health conditions are at increased risk for health effects from clima
te change. Climate change also stresses our health care infrastructure and deliv
ery systems.
Steps can be taken to lessen climate change ( mitigation ) and reduce its impacts on
our health and the health of future generations ( adaptation ). Some of these steps
can yield benefits for our health, environment, economy, and society at the sam
e time. The federal government has called for efforts to support adaptation and
omplicate things and make a direct causal relationship between climate change an
d malaria difficult to confirm. It is highly unlikely that climate exerts an iso
lated effect.
Environment
Climate change may dramatically impact habitat loss, for example, arid condition
s may cause the collapse of rainforests, as has occurred in the past.[25]
Temperature
A sustained wet-bulb temperature exceeding 35, is a threshold at which the resili
ence of human systems is no longer able to adequately cool the skin. A study by
NOAA from 2013 concluded that heat stress will reduce labor capacity considerabl
y under current emissions scenarios.[26]
Water
See also: Water crisis
The freshwater resources that humans rely on are highly sensitive to variations
in weather and climate. In 2007, the IPCC reported with high confidence that cli
mate change has a net negative impact on water resources and freshwater ecosyste
ms in all regions.[27] The IPCC also found with very high confidence that arid a
nd semi-arid areas are particularly exposed to freshwater impacts.[27]
As the climate warms, it changes the nature of global rainfall, evaporation, sno
w, stream flow and other factors that affect water supply and quality. Specific
impacts include:
Warmer water temperatures affect water quality and accelerate water pollutio
n.[28]
Sea level rise is projected to increase salt-water intrusion into groundwate
r in some regions. This reduces the amount of freshwater available for drinking
and farming.[28][29]
In some areas, shrinking glaciers and snow deposits threaten the water suppl
y.[30] Areas that depend on melted water runoff will likely see that runoff depl
eted, with less flow in the late summer and spring peaks occurring earlier.[28]
This can affect the ability to irrigate crops. (This situation is particularly a
cute for irrigation in South America,[31] for irrigation and drinking supplies i
n central Asia, and for hydropower in Norway, the Alps, and the Pacific Northwes
t of North America.)
Increased extreme weather means more water falls on hardened ground unable t
o absorb it, leading to flash floods instead of a replenishment of soil moisture
or groundwater levels.
Increased evaporation will reduce the effectiveness of reservoirs.
At the same time, human demand for water will grow for the purposes of cooli
ng and hydration.
Displacement and migration
See also: Environmental migrant
A refugee camp.
Climate change causes displacement of people in several ways, the most obvious and
dramatic being through the increased number and severity of weather-related disas
ters which destroy homes and habitats causing people to seek shelter or liveliho
ods elsewhere. Effects of climate change such as desertification and rising sea
levels gradually erode livelihood and force communities to abandon traditional h
omelands for more accommodating environments. This is currently happening in are
as of Africa s Sahel, the semi-arid belt that spans the continent just below its n
orthern deserts. Deteriorating environments triggered by climate change can also
lead to increased conflict over resources which in turn can displace people.[32
]