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Impacts of climate change on health - Coggle Diagram
Impacts of climate change on health
Climate Change
Thermal stress
Heatwaves
Main risks
dehydration
overheating
heat exhaustion
Heatstroke
Very youn gand elderly seriously at risk
Other risks
Smogs
can lead to high concnetrations od nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter in the atmosphere
Growth of blue-green algae in water
can cause problems for aquatic life
topxic algae blooms causing drinking and recreational problems
health and environmental problems
odour
dust
vermin infestation
Mitigation
more frequent watse collection
extra pollution control measuresat landfillls
waste treatment facilllities
wildfires
Water shortages
much bigger impact in cities than in suburban and rural areas
more significant in developing countries
populations lacking resources to deal with heatwaves suffer more
Cold spells
clear seasons in temperature climate
likley to bring milder winters
reduction in winter mortality (it's warmer)
most pronounced for cardiovascular mortality in elderly people in cities that experience cold temperatures
clonflicting and limiting evidence as to whether the increase of summer deaths are just greater or lower in winter
net impacts will vary between populations
Death rates in winter can increase up to 25% higher than summer
extremes of cold impact cardiovascular and respitory diseases and can lead to an increase in mortality
however, there is no clear increase of winter typical disease e.g influenze (flu)
Agricultural productivity and nutritional standards
Direct impacts
Higher growing season temperatures will increase yield, incomes and security
In mid to high latitudes crop yields are projected to increase and extend north (especially for cereals and cool season seedy crops)
crops in lower latitudes (e.g maise or soya) could become viable further north (yield could increase by up to 30% by 2050)
potentially large gains in agricultural land for places like Russia, due to longer planting seasons and better growing conditions, amounting to 64% increase over 245 million hectares by 2050
Harvest time will be brought forwards and possibly reduce final yeild and loss of productivity
in area where temperatures are already close to the physiological limit for crops, heat stress will damage crops and higher evaporation will lead to water loss
varying rainfall patterns will impact productivity; there are projections of a general increase in high latitude rainfall (especially in winter) and an overall decrease in many parts of the tropics and subtropics
Indirect impacts
Pests and diseases
pest likes aphids and weevils respond positively to higher levels of CO2
Increased temperatures also reduce the overwintering mortality of pests
Changes in water availability
water for irrgation is often extracted from rivers that depend on distant climatic conditions
e.g agriculture along the Nile depnds on rainfall in the river of the Ethiopian highlands
Sea level rise
vulnerability of crop productivity is greatest where large sea level rise occurs in conjunction with low lying coastal agriculture
many major river deltas provide important agricultural land owing to the fertility of fluvial soils
Nutritional standards
increasin food prices may lower the nutritional quality of dietray intakes
increase of obsesity
amplifed health inequalities
pesticides, medicines and such being transferred to food
promotion of a healthier diet (e.g reduced red meat)
less cattle and space for farms cleared
negative impact on zinc and iron intakes
Vector bourne diseases
any changes in temperature and rainfall rsulting from climate change will alter the geographical distribution of optimal conditions for most vectors
averge global temp will have risen by 1-3.5 degrees by 2100
transmission rates are higher in warmth
many disease lie in the 14-18 degree range at the low end
35-40 degrees at the high end
Malaria and dengue
most important diseases inthe tropics and subtropics
populations living at the presnt margins of malaria and dengue withohut primary healthcare will be most succeptible
Mosquito vectors
highly senstitive to climate condiitions
climate change could expose a further 2 billion people to dengue by 2080
Lyme disease
most common vector disease in temperate climates
Boreillia bacteria transmitted by deer ticks
associated with warmer and humid conditions
West nile virus
mosquitos
reported in many coutries for 50+ years
since 1997 it has spreqd widely and in 1999 the virus was in NYC causing a dramatic outbreak in the USA
now spread
present from Canada to Venezula
highlighted the fact that pathogens outside of their natural habitat represent a serious danger
Zika virus
mosquito
effects
rash
mild fever
conjunctivitus
muscle pain
Isolated in Zika forest (Uganda) in 1947
spread to otehr places in africa and some of asia
Reached easter island in 2014
outbreaks reported in the pacific region
now spread to souith and central america and carribean
in may 2015 Brazil and other nearby couintries confirmed transmission of zika
Eidence that infected pregenant women woul dgie birth to a baby with microcephaly (abnormally small head associated with abnormal brain development)
Ozone Depletion
Cataracts
form of eye damage that causes a loss of transparency in the lens leading to cloudiness of vison and blindness
factors causing
old age
diabtetes
smoke from firewood
Cigarettes
Poor nutrition
UV radiation
ozone depleted means less UV filter so high UV radiation
Geographic location
Levels greater in tropical areas near the earth's equator
Altitude
greater at higher atlitudes
Time of day
greater when the sun is high
usually about 10am to 2pm
Setting
greater in wide open spaces
When refelctive surfaces are prestn liek snow or sand
Less likley in urban settings
Sunglasses blaock harmful rays
Only treatment is surgery
10% depletion results in 2 million new cases of cataracts
Skin cancer
UV light damages DNA in skin cells
Malignant melanoma rates have increased 5x since the mid 1970s
rates of newly daignosed are highest in the south west and south east of england
Australia has the highest rate in the world
2/3 will be diagnosed by age 70
around 2 000 die from skin cancer each year
accounts for 80% of new cancers yearly
Costs $512.3 million in 2010
more likley to affect
older people
those from more affluent areas
caused by exposure to the sun