UNDERSTANDING CLIMATE CHANGE — HOW CLIMATE CHANGE AFFECTS HEALTH AND HEALTH SYSTEMS.

By John O’Marho

The theory of natural selection was first fully expounded by Charles Darwin. Natural selection is essentially nature influencing the selection of those who die early or live long enough to pass on their genetic characteristics to their offspring. This selection is solely based on who is best adapted to the environment. And as genes determine everything, those with genes that make them more adaptable to their environment do better and last longer than those without such favorable traits.

The agencies of natural selection include adaptability to environmental conditions, adverse climate conditions, diseases, and others. One of the wonders of modern medicine is that it has given everyone a fighting chance at a relatively long life- both people with “favorable” and “unfavorable” genes.

But in our insatiable thirst for new frontiers in human development and technology, we have managed to open nature’s “Pandora’s box.” The expirations from the dynamic thing that is human civilization have managed to heat things up more than is healthy for humanity. The impacts of climate change will put health systems worldwide under immense pressure.

There are four types of water-associated diseases:

· Water-borne diseases. These are caused by consuming contaminated water. Examples are diarrheal diseases, typhoid, guinea worm, etc.

· Water-washed diseases. These are caused by the scarcity of water for personal hygiene purposes. Examples are skin diseases (scabies, lice, ticks) and eye disease (trachomas).

· Water-based diseases are caused by parasites in intermediate organisms living in water bodies. Examples are guinea-worm infections, schistosomiasis, and other helminthic infections.

· Water-related diseases are caused by insect vectors that breed in water. Examples are malaria, dengue fever, yellow fever, filariasis, etc.

As climate change increasingly distorts precipitation patterns worldwide, some areas would experience unusually high rainfall leading to frequent and severe floods. Other regions would increasingly experience droughts. Floods or droughts would predispose billions of people to one, two, or all of the types of water-associated diseases.

Severe flooding would also destroy existing health infrastructures and deter people from accessing healthcare services. A large caseload of water-associated (and other) diseases without a way for the people afflicted by these diseases to access healthcare is very much the beginning of a global health emergency.

Also, it’s no news that smog has progressively gotten worse in many major cities. In addition to the greenhouse gases being emitted from burning fossil fuels, other harmful gases and particulate matter are also being released. A photochemical reaction combines these ingredients to make smog- visible pollution.

The components of smog can settle in the lungs of people who breathe this polluted air. Over time, a buildup of these components in lung tissue can predispose to many medical conditions, the most dreaded of them being lung cancer.

The tropics are regions of Earth found around the equators- that is, the equatorial region and areas within 23° North and South of the Equator. The tropics are also the birthplace of many a virus that has had “successful” global tours. This region is also endemic to many diseases. Many consider the warm, humid, and wet conditions present in the tropics to be the ideal breeding ground for superbugs.

With climate change and global warming causing an increase in average global temperatures, we could see formerly sub-tropical climes add a more tropical flavor to their usual climatic conditions. Granted that climatic conditions aren’t the sole cause of a higher prevalence of diseases in the tropics, it still plays an important role. With sub-tropical and temperate climes looking to become warmer shortly due to climate change, humanity stands the risk of having to deal with epidemics on a more regular basis.

The developed world emits the lion-share of greenhouse gases compared to the developing world. Yet it is the shaky health systems and structures in developing countries that are most exposed and vulnerable to the impacts of climate change on our health systems.

This is enough reason for developing nations to take a more active role in combating climate change. It is enough reason for citizens of these developing nations to apply more pressure on their governments to pursue and implement policies that mitigate the causes and effects of climate change.

Everyone needs to step up their game because we’re all at risk.