138
– Crop failures
– Shifting patterns of disease vectors
• Social responses to climate change
– Displacement of populations due to climate change induced disasters
Health outcomes depends on complex interactions among the direct and indirect
effects of climate change besides social dynamics, such as access to health services,
economic development, and population demographics (Watts et al. 2015).
Over 220 million additional exposures to heatwaves (with each exposure defined
as one person aged 65 years or older exposed to one heatwave) occurred in 2018
compared with a 1986–2005 climatological baseline higher than ever previously
tracked. Vulnerability to extremes of heat continues to increase among older populations throughout the world, with the African, South-East Asia, and Western Pacific
regions seeing a raise in vulnerability of more than 10% since 1990, with people
older than 65 years old becoming increasingly vulnerable. Overall, Europe remains
the most vulnerable to heat exposures, due to its aging population, high prevalence
of diabetes, cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, and high rates of urbanization
(Watts et al. 2019).
Seasonal change in temperature is likely to cause bronchitis, goiter, eczema,
glaucoma, adrenal ulcer, peptic ulcer, and herpes zoster (Tromp 1963). Variations in
ambient temperatures can be linked to heart failure as well as cerebrovascular accidents (Persinger 1980). Ambient ultraviolet levels as well as maximum summertime
day temperatures are related to the occurrence of cataracts and non-melanoma skin
cancers in the eye (van der Leun et al. 2008).
The health effects of wildfires include direct thermal injuries and chronic respiratory symptoms (Black et al. 2017). The global economic burden per person affected
by wildfires is more than 48 times higher than that by floods and twice that by earthquakes (Doerr and Santín 2016). Many neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) are
likely to be affected by climate change over the seasonal, annual, and decadal terms
(Booth 2018).
4.5 Pollution of the Environment
Along with the word “environment” the word “pollution” took importance too.
Since the late eighteenth century, the world has seen significant changes in agriculture, mining, energy production manufacturing, and transportation. The current century saw tremendous changes in the service sector such as the health care, software,
education, communication, pest control, entertainment, waste management, advertisement, and event management, which has increased demand for energy, manufactured products, and transportation.
The industrial revolution changed quantity and constituents of wastes and associated pollution. With time, while some countries invested and brought down pollution level in their environment others still have to catch up. Since pollutants do not
4 Introduction to Environmental Sciences
– Crop failures
– Shifting patterns of disease vectors
• Social responses to climate change
– Displacement of populations due to climate change induced disasters
Health outcomes depends on complex interactions among the direct and indirect
effects of climate change besides social dynamics, such as access to health services,
economic development, and population demographics (Watts et al. 2015).
Over 220 million additional exposures to heatwaves (with each exposure defined
as one person aged 65 years or older exposed to one heatwave) occurred in 2018
compared with a 1986–2005 climatological baseline higher than ever previously
tracked. Vulnerability to extremes of heat continues to increase among older populations throughout the world, with the African, South-East Asia, and Western Pacific
regions seeing a raise in vulnerability of more than 10% since 1990, with people
older than 65 years old becoming increasingly vulnerable. Overall, Europe remains
the most vulnerable to heat exposures, due to its aging population, high prevalence
of diabetes, cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, and high rates of urbanization
(Watts et al. 2019).
Seasonal change in temperature is likely to cause bronchitis, goiter, eczema,
glaucoma, adrenal ulcer, peptic ulcer, and herpes zoster (Tromp 1963). Variations in
ambient temperatures can be linked to heart failure as well as cerebrovascular accidents (Persinger 1980). Ambient ultraviolet levels as well as maximum summertime
day temperatures are related to the occurrence of cataracts and non-melanoma skin
cancers in the eye (van der Leun et al. 2008).
The health effects of wildfires include direct thermal injuries and chronic respiratory symptoms (Black et al. 2017). The global economic burden per person affected
by wildfires is more than 48 times higher than that by floods and twice that by earthquakes (Doerr and Santín 2016). Many neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) are
likely to be affected by climate change over the seasonal, annual, and decadal terms
(Booth 2018).
4.5 Pollution of the Environment
Along with the word “environment” the word “pollution” took importance too.
Since the late eighteenth century, the world has seen significant changes in agriculture, mining, energy production manufacturing, and transportation. The current century saw tremendous changes in the service sector such as the health care, software,
education, communication, pest control, entertainment, waste management, advertisement, and event management, which has increased demand for energy, manufactured products, and transportation.
The industrial revolution changed quantity and constituents of wastes and associated pollution. With time, while some countries invested and brought down pollution level in their environment others still have to catch up. Since pollutants do not
4 Introduction to Environmental Sciences