The effects of climate change will also be felt in our health.
Climate change occurs due to the imbalance between the heat that the earth receives and the heat that it can release.
In recent years, greenhouse gases have reduced the earth’s ability to cool down, which, coupled with the rapid loss of ice masses near the poles (which also help release heat to the planet), are causing rapid changes in terrestrial climates.
In general we can expect a tendency of the environments to be extreme . More moderate climates will tend to be more extreme, especially those that are hotter. The length of summers will increase and natural water cycles will change, causing disturbances such as climatic catastrophes with greater frequency.
These changes in the different environments also have risks for global health . In this article we will discuss some of the diseases that are thought to affect the West more strongly due to climate change.
Why will there be more diseases in the West?
The temperature of the planet is increasing. A temperature increase of between 1.8ºC and 5.8ºC is currently expected this century , with more serious consequences depending on how much we allow it to rise.
This change in temperatures dramatically changes climatic conditions, which are a key factor in the location and movement of animal species, some of them closely related to the transmission of infectious diseases. To exemplify this change, we can cite studies that state that the climate of current Barcelona will move to London by 2050, while in Madrid the climate of current Marrakesh will be established .
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In addition, climatic catastrophes will affect with greater force, frequency and in areas that were not traditionally used to them, which will affect them more due to lack of preparation. These types of catastrophes cause contamination and alterations in the water supply, related to diseases.
In Europe, temperate climates and cold winters made it difficult for certain pathogens and the species that carry them to establish themselves long enough to cause epidemics. Mild winters and longer summers will facilitate the onset of diseases that are typical of warmer climates .
Diseases that will affect the West due to climate change
Among the diseases that will most severely affect Western society due to climate change, infectious diseases are of special concern. But the consequences of climate change on health do not stop there.
Below we list different health problems that we will have to get used to if strong and rapid action against climate change is not carried out by the international community.
1. Diseases carried by mosquitoes
Mosquitoes like Aedes aegypti are responsible for transmitting diseases like malaria, dengue, Zika or yellow fever . As temperatures rise globally, the areas where these mosquitoes can live all year round will move closer to the poles, increasing the incidence of these diseases in the western population.
Malaria, for example, is already expanding its zone of influence, recently expanding to West Africa, where it was not common. Considering that this infectious disease causes more than 800,000 deaths annually, it is a clear example of the dangers we face with rising temperatures.
2. Diseases carried by birds
Most of us will remember the panic caused by bird flu in recent years. Bird flu in particular has a high risk of affecting humans if the pathogen mutates, as well as being incredibly deadly and virulent.
The change in the environment will change the migratory routes of birds that are traditional carriers of diseases, in addition to the fact that desertification and lack of water will make them more exposed to pathogen-carrying mosquitoes. This combination can result in periodic catastrophic epidemics throughout the world .
3. Diseases carried by rodents
Cold winters served to control the population of certain pathogen-carrying organisms, such as wild rodent populations. The loss of harsh winters will affect European climates in various ways, but one of the most striking will be the increase in diseases typically transmitted by rodents.
Among the scientific community , special attention is paid to diseases such as those caused by hantaviruses , transmitted by rodents, ranging from severe respiratory disorders to hemorrhagic fevers that cause kidney problems.
4. Directly microbial infections
The international health community estimates that we will suffer from 10% more diarrheal diseases by 2030, due to climate change . Among them, an increase in cholera or those diseases caused by enteroviruses is expected. This will cause serious economic damage, as well as being a serious risk in those areas without constant access to clean water.
Some of the consequences of climate change go through the increase of different bacterial populations, which will improve their ability to survive and reproduce thanks to the increase in temperatures. Among these is the bacterial genus Vibrio , to which the bacteria that cause cholera and other nightmarish bacteria called carnivores belong, due to their ability to cause necrotizing fasciitis .
Carnivorous bacteria are usually found in areas where fresh water mixes with salt water, such as some beaches or river mouths. Currently there is already an increase in cases of infections by this dangerous type of bacteria.
5. Increase in suicide rates
Not only infectious diseases will be those that increase their rates of appearance in humans. Mental health also tends to destabilize with rising temperatures. Only in the US and Mexico will there be more than 20,000 suicides by 2050 , guilty of the effects of the increase in temperature.
6. Emergence of new diseases
Nor can the appearance of new undescribed diseases be ruled out. Climate change has global consequences on different ecosystems, which can facilitate contact between humans and pathogens that had not been described before.
For example, Lyme disease, which is carried by ticks, was described in 1975 as a rare disorder. It is currently one of the most widespread zoonotic diseases caused by ticks in the United States.
The health consequences of climate change are tremendously complex to predict, so we may be in for very unpleasant surprises if climate change is allowed to run its course through political inaction. If you are worried about the increase in diseases and the decrease in the quality of life due to climate change, now is the time to raise your voice and elect responsible political representatives with the planet.
Bibliographic references
- Shuman, Emily K.“Global Climate Change and Infectious Diseases.” New England Journal of Medicine 362, no. 12 (2010): 1061–63. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMp0912931.
- Lee, SH, Nam, KW, Jeong, JY, Yoo, SJ, Koh, YS, Lee, S., … Lee, KH (2013). The effects of climate change and globalization on mosquito vectors: evidence from Jeju Island, South Korea on the potential for Asian tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus) influences and survival from Vietnam rather than Japan. PlOS one, 8(7), e68512. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0068512.
To the classic question “what do you do?” I always answer “basically I am a psychologist”. In fact, my academic training has revolved around the psychology of development, education and community, a field of study influenced my volunteer activities, as well as my first work experiences in personal services.
