GLOBAL WARMING: IT'S HEALTH EFFECTS

Now I do not want to be the voice of doom but I feel we do need to get real about Global Warming and it's possible consequences. There are many potentially damaging health effects associated with global warming apart from all the other problems it may bring.



OUR WATER SUPPLIES


As flooding becomes more frequent the quality of our drinking water, and the chances of untreated sewage entering the water source will increase. This could lead to a whole host of diseases spreading or resurfacing. Typhoid which is practically unheard of in western countries these days could surface again.


ILLNESS


Illnesses such as heat stroke may become more common with only a slight increase in the overall temperatures. Sickness, vomiting and diarrhoea will no doubt follow temperature
increases.


LACK OF FOOD



Starvation, famine and poverty with their associated illnesses and diseases will probably happen more. This could happen as crops fail due to drought. As global warming may increase rainfall at times some crops could be flooded and ruined whilst others will become dry and barren. Some farm lands will become useless.



THE AIR THAT YOU BREATH


Air quality is already bad in many large cities and is set to decline further. If air quality declines there will be more asthma and breathing difficulties.



LACK OF HABITABLE SPACE


As water levels rise significantly some countries, or parts of them, will be put under water either temporarily or permanently. This will result in more overcrowding of the habitable land that is left dry. This will obviously be detrimental to health and encourage the spread of disease.



CONCLUSION


Global warming will probably involve some extremes of weather such as flooding, severe cold winters and very hot summers. Obviously these extremes will hit the very youngest and oldest the hardest, as it will the poorest citizens of the world. Let's face it the poorest people in the world will have no chance of upping sticks, moving on and starting over.



Hot climates will mean that there may be more cases of skin cancers or similar damage and so re-education will be important for us all to cope with our changing environment. Unfortunately there are many possibilities of health effects from global warming but sadly very few, in any, are positive ones.