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About Climate Change

Climate change results from greenhouse gas emission from human activities. Greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere are at their highest levels in 2 million years, and it's rising.

These gases trap heat and lead to an increase in global temperature. The earth is about 1.1°C warmer than it was in the 1800s. If the current emission pattern continues, temperature could increase by 4.4°C by the end of the century. ¹′²

This leads to three important phenomenon, the effects of which are detrimental to health and health systems.

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Heat Stress 

With a steady increase in exposure to high temperatures and heatwaves, the following impacts had been observed:

  • An association with cardiovascular events following extremely hot days.

 

  • Exacerbation of respiratory diseases by raising pollutant and aeroallergen levels.

 

  • Promoting vector-born diseases by lengthening transmission seasons and altering their geographical range. These diseases include malaria, dengue, lyme disease and hantavirus, to name a few.

 

  • Disrupting medical services by raising humidity and preventing adequate sterility.

Sea Level Rise  

The sea level is rising at an unprecedented rate, having raised by 23cm since 1880. The phenomenon is due to melting glaciers and the thermal expansion of sea water. It will increase the risk of infectious disease by the following mechanism:

  • Contaminating fresh water supply and increasing risk of water-borne diseases, such as cholera, leptospirosis and campylobacter.

 

  • Increasing breeding grounds for vectors, like insects and snails.

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 Extreme Weather Events

The number of weather-related natural disaster has more than tripled since 1960s. Such extreme events include super typhoons, floods, wildfires and drought. The impact of these events is massive, because they can:

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  • Cause huge numbers of trauma and deaths, overwhelming hospital service

 

  • Damage hospital infrastructure and equipment.

 

  • Damage public infrastructure, including communication networks, transport systems and power suply. This would also disrupt medical service delivery.

 

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Climate change is a health crisis.

But the health care industry is contributing to climate change.

Useful links and resources

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