CLIMATE CHANGE HARMS HEALTH. DO PEOPLE KNOW?

 Climate Change Harms Health. Do People Know?

Extreme heat waves, wildfires, and several other natural disasters are evidence of the effects of climate change. According to a study recently published by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), the average temperature in India is expected to increase by 2.4 to 4.4 degrees Celsius by 2100, and summer heat waves may double or quadruple during that time. The report's findings found that South Asia is lagging far behind in mitigating climate change and its regional impacts. In addition, the ongoing coronavirus pandemic has led to a reduction in weather-related investments.

The report also predicts that extreme events such as extreme heat, prolonged droughts, and floods are expected to become more frequent and intense, some experts told Financial Express.com that these climate extremes will have a significant impact on human health and disease. Meanwhile, experts warn that some existing health threats will increase and new health threats will emerge. Presently the inquiry emerges: how are human well-being and the environment connected with one another?

Environmental change is the greatest danger to human well-being.

The environment is constantly changing with a warming climate, changes in rainfall, increased frequency or intensity of extreme weather events, and rising sea levels. These diversities influence the food and water we eat, the air we inhale, and the climate we experience.

According to a World Health Organization (WHO) report, between 2030 and 2050, climate change is expected to cause around 250,000 deaths per year due to malnutrition, fever, diarrhea, and heat stress. The World Health Organization has warned that direct health costs (that is, excluding costs in health-determining sectors such as agriculture, water, and sanitation) will be between $2-4 billion per year by 2030.

Meanwhile, experts have warned that people in developing countries may be the most vulnerable to health risks in the world, but climate change poses a major threat to health even in developed countries like the United States.

Climate change poses threats to public health, including increases in respiratory and heart diseases, extreme weather-related injuries and premature deaths, and increases in food- and water-borne diseases such as typhoid, infectious gastroenteritis, and vector-borne diseases. Heat, sea, etc. diseases like Dr. Anuja Lakra, consultant - Internal Medicine, HCMCT Manipal Hospitals, Dwarka, told Financial Express.com that drastic changes in the climate can also lead to floods or droughts.

How does climate change affect health?

According to a study published in Lancet Planet Health, more than 5 million deaths worldwide each year are linked to extreme heat and cold weather. Public health experts say air pollution produced by wildfires is linked to respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. In addition, extreme heat and heat waves can cause heat stroke and fatigue and can lead to chronic health deterioration. Meanwhile, floods, one of the most common natural disasters, cause injuries and drownings and spread water-related diseases. Although the effects of climate change on human health are clear, the true magnitude of climate change is difficult to measure.

Dr. Lakra said climate change increases the incidence of heart disease, stroke, respiratory disease, acute exacerbation of Allergic Bronchitis, Allergic Rhinitis, Bronchial Asthma, as well as water and foodborne diseases such as Viral Hepatitis (Hepatitis A). and hepatitis E), enteric fever, infectious gastroenteritis.

Heat, sea, etc. There is also an increase in vector-borne diseases such as extreme temperatures that can cause dehydration, heat stroke, or hypothermia.

Kids in India are at high risk of environmental change influences.

According to a report by the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF), India is experiencing the worst impact of climate change in recent decades. With Himalayan glaciers melting in the north, the world is in a vulnerable area, with long coastlines that bring cyclones and floods to coastal communities and poor air quality, the world agency said. Cities contribute to poor health, especially in newborns and children.

In 2019, India is the 7th most affected country by climate change. (Germany Watch, 2019). In the 10-year period from 2006 to 2015, the number of floods in India reached 90, up from 67 in the previous decade from 1996 to 2005, according to the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction. Climate and environmental impacts affect not only non-health issues for children but also access to critical social and life services, especially for vulnerable and marginalized communities, which in turn harms children and reduces their quality of life. Therefore, climate change contributes to the double burden effect, UNICEF WASH expert Marije Broekhuijsen told Finance Express.com.

According to the IQ Air 2020 report, 21 of the 30 cities in the world with the most polluted air in 2020 are in India. At the same time, according to a 2018 World Bank report, climate change and changes in monsoon rainfall could reduce India's GDP by 2.8 percent and reduce the standard of living of almost half of the country's population by 2050.

Does climate change also have an economic effect?

Several studies have shown that climate change can cause significant economic damage. According to an International Monetary Fund (IMF) report, this is a global externality — one country's emissions affect all countries, including the number of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere that causes warming. HPG also warned that many low-income countries are at risk. According to the International Monetary Fund 2020 report, climate disasters cause human suffering every year, especially economic and ecological damage. In the past decade, direct damage from such disasters was estimated at $1.3 trillion per year or an average of 0.2 percent of global GDP.

A 2021 report by the Swiss Re Institute found that the worst impacts of climate change could wipe out 18% of GDP from the global economy by 2050 if global temperatures rise by 3.2°C.

The study also found that the impact of climate change will be the hardest for Asian economies, hitting GDP by 5.5% in the best scenario and 26.5% in the worst scenario.

“Climate change is still not a priority

According to a new study by Azim Premji University, only three out of every 1,000 questions asked in the Lok Sabha in the last 20 years are related to climate change. A study published last month found that almost 895 questions related to climate change were raised by 1,019 Members of Parliament (MP) between 1999 and 2019.

University researchers who conducted the study divided the questions asked into three categories: impact, mitigation, and adaptation, and found that 27.6 percent of the questions related to climate impact and 38.4 percent related to agriculture.

The constituency is largely rural, with 69 percent of Indians still living outside the city, which is an important agricultural area, an important area for lawmakers, the researchers wrote.

In addition, coastal change is an important issue discussed under the influence of climate, as three coastal cities of India - Mumbai, Chennai, and Kolkata - are at risk due to rising sea levels. According to the 2020 assessment, Jharkhand, Mizoram, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Assam, Bihar, Arunachal Pradesh, and West Bangladesh are the most vulnerable states to climate change. The study also found that socio-economic vulnerability and climate injustice were not properly addressed. In a 20-year study, only six parliamentary questions targeted marginalized groups.