Impacts of Climate Change on Human Health
Shaylee Moreno ’25
Christine Wu ’25
Over the past twenty years, climate change has not only impacted the natural world but also taken an overwhelming toll on the health of many, particularly those marginalized by age, race, and economic status. To fully understand the impacts of climate change on human health, we must define climate change itself. Climate change describes the world’s “long-term shifts in temperature and weather patterns” (What Is Climate, n.d.). Caused by greenhouse gasses, these shifts trap heat in our atmosphere, fossil fuel administrations, and natural climate shifts.
To begin with, a portion of all greenhouse emissions come from fossil fuels in populated cities through the effects of vehicles, domestic burning, and manufacturing. These emissions have gravely impacted the health of our respiratory system due to the amount of smoke they produce, especially in urban neighborhoods. Air pollution caused by smoke acutely affects asthma, increasing the number of people who identify as asthmatics today. Last year, 67 million tons of pollution were produced, with its microscopic particles worsening asthma flare-ups (Air Quality, n.d.). Additionally, the heating of our planet has elongated the pollen season (spring), intensifying allergy symptoms. Both of these examples show climate change’s direct impact on the health of individuals.
As the atmosphere continues to trap the irregular heat driven by climate change, there has been a spike in cases of cardiovascular diseases, becoming one of the leading causes of death (Climate Change, n.d). Imbalances in the weather patterns have caused a sporadic spike in body temperature, disrupted the process of homeostasis, and caused our heart’s activity levels to increase. Together, these conditions will increase the chances of humans suffering from heart attacks and heat strokes.
In conclusion, the environmental damages caused by climate change will induce the world’s generation of diseases and prevent humans from exercising their regular habits in the future. By acknowledging our impacts on climate change and making changes, humans can slow down the process and effects of climate change and reduce the strains that climate change has placed on our health.
References
Air Quality in Urban Areas in the US. (n.d.). Oransi. https://oransi.com/blogs/blog/air-quality-urban-areas-us
Air Quality - National Summary | US EPA. (2022, June 1). Environmental Protection Agency.
https://www.epa.gov/air-trends/air-quality-national-summary
Asthma – C-CHANGE | Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. (n.d.). Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public
Health. https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/c-change/subtopics/climate-change-and-asthma/
Climate Change and Human Health: Racing to Curb the Ripple Effect. (n.d.). Bayer.
Fossil fuels and climate change: the facts. (n.d.). ClientEarth.
https://www.clientearth.org/latest/latestupdates/stories/fossil-fuels-and-climate-change-the-facts/
