The Impact of Global Warming on Human Health
Throughout the world, the presence of particular diseases and other threats to human health depend largely on the local climate. Extreme variation in temperature can directly, and indirectly, cause the loss of human life. The threat of a gradual increase in temperature could be catastrophic to the world, as we know it. In 1999, a heat wave killed more than 250 people in Chicago alone (Union of Concerned Scientists). Many consider such an event as a natural disaster. However, scientists warn the average global temperature has increase 0.5 ° F in the past 40 years. This is half of the total increase in surface temperature, 1°F, since the late 19th century. At its current rate, the global temperature could rise 2° to 6°F in the next 100 years (Union of Concerned Scientist).
Such a drastic increase in the rate of temperature increase is due to the industrial revolution. In the past 40 years, the world has seen a drastic increase in population and the use of fossil fuels (gasoline, oil, coal or natural gas). These fuels are used to run our cars, heat and cool our homes, manufacture goods in our factories and to ship goods for worldwide consumption. The focus, until lately, has been to produce maximum product at a minimum price to maximize profit. Little to no care was taken to minimize the amount of fossil fuels used in the production of goods. Recently, it has become evident that such practices lead to the production of greenhouse gases. Whenever fossil fuels are burned for energy, greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide builds up in the earth’s atmosphere (Union of Concerned Scientists).
Another reason why greenhouse gases have increased is due to the decrease in the amount of plant life, commonly called deforestation. Plant life is the only thing known on earth to consume carbon dioxide. However, due to the need of raw materials (wood and paper pulp), industrial nations tend to cut down more trees than they can reforest (Fuller 454). Also, toxins produced as a by-product of industrialization have killed plant life. Therefore, a greater amount of carbon dioxide is being produced at the same time less carbon dioxide is being consumed, leading to dangerous consequences.
The combination of pollutants and deforestation has lead to what is commonly called the Greenhouse Effect. The term...
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...ure on the government to create legislation that will save the environment as well as keep our energy rates low and stable. Such legislation is almost impossible. A good first step for the government would be to create effective, mass public transportation such as the train and subway systems of Europe. However, we the residents of this planet, also must do our part to reduce our role in polluting the environment. After all, we are the ones who have to live with, or die from, the consequences of our actions.
Works Cited
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Christianson, Gale E. Greenhouse: The 200-Year Story of Global Warming. (1999).
Fuller, Jim. “Ministers Unable to Reach Agreement at Climate Change Conference”. November 25, 2005. Http://globalchange.gov/news/hague_conference_2005_1125.html
Leggett, Jeremy. The Climate Time Bomb: Signs of Climate Change from The Greenpeace Database (Amsterdam, Netherlands: Stichting Greenpeace Council, 1994).
Revkin, Andrew. Global Warming: Understanding the Forecast.(2004).
Union of Concerned Scientist. “Safeguarding the web of life: Global Environment”. June 29, 2006. http://www.uscusa.org
Fossil fuels, such as coal and oil, are Carbon rich compounds, the combustion of which produces Carbon Dioxide, a pollutant and a greenhouse gas. A large amount of energy is released during this process, which is why the pollutants off products are tolerated. This process occurs constantly throughout the world, in power stations, vehicles and cooking ovens, leading to an immense volume of CO2 being released every second, 50% of which is absorbed by oceans (Oce...
The emission of carbon dioxide has contributed to 80% to the heating of the earth atmosphere. Carbon dioxide is produced due the burning of fossil fuels such as natural gas, coal and oil. The burning of fossil fuel is very important in our society today, because it is used for cooking, used to produce electricity, for heating, for cooling and also for transportation. The industrialization has led to the use of fossil fuel for running machines and driving cars. The building of fossil fuel contributes towards 80-90% of the carbon dioxide we find in our atmosphere today. When the ecosystems are altered and vegetation is either burned or took out, the carbon stored in them is relinquished to the atmosphere as carbon dioxide (What causes global climate change, 2005). Methane is another gas being produced in the process which all have served to increase the greenhouse effect in our atmosphere. Methane is produced from the cultivation of rice, from the burning of coal and from cattle, it has increased by 145% due to human
In the fourteenth century many events happened that changed and shaped society, some more disastrous than others. Each event had its own effect on the way society would continue from that point on, and each event made irrevocable changes to society. The Black Death is an event that began in the fourteenth century that had a huge destabilizing impact on society and the way people lived their lives. It can be considered the most traumatic event of the fourteenth century.
A devastating widespread disease that resulted in about 75 million deaths was known as the Black Death. The disease came from fleas that came off of rats that were commonly found in towns and cities. The fleas would bite the victims, injecting them with the disease. Fleas and rats could be found almost anywhere but they were mainly aboard ships of all kind. This is how the Black Death made its way through European ports. This disease could also be spread through the air from person to person. According to one doctor “instantaneous death occurs when the aerial spirit escaping from the eyes of the sick man strikes the healthy person standing near and looking at the sick” There was no medical knowledge to help the people neither cure nor stop the disease. This sent all of Europe in a panic and changed many of their lives forever.
“Arranging a Marriage in India” by Serena Nanda is a well written, informative article aimed at sharing the view of the Indian culture on arranged marriages and also showing how much effort is put into the process of arranging a marriage. Our own culture has evolved into accepting the fact that we are all independent individuals who could not imagine having someone else make such a significant decision for us. Serena Nanda does an excellent job of using her sources within the society as evidence of the acceptance of the arranged marriage aspect of their culture.
After the Black Death took the cities, shortly after it spread into the villages and farms. Killing the farm workers, the Black Death left crops not gathered which led to a shortage of food supplies and people to starve. Because of the mortality and the labor shortage, prices of goods dropped while the wages rose. Landowners were so desperate that they tried everything to keep the peasants to work for them. This gave the perfect opportunity for the laborers to demand higher wages how much they were valued. During the epidemic, the societies in Europe found their own ways to live through the Black Death. Some people thought that it God that created the plague, so he can punish the people because of their sins. Other people tried to enjoy as much as possible their last moments of their lives because they knew they would eventually die. Day and night people were getting drunk and move from one tavern to another and satisfying every last-minute wish they could. A social long-term consequence of the Black Death was that people lost their faith and were against God because he could not save them from the epidemic. Another consequence covers the economic change of the lower and middle-class people. During the 14th century peasants were at the very bottom but thanks to the Black Death their lives changed dramatically. After the epidemic was over, they were very
The Black Death, a horrible pandemic plague that spread through all of Europe, taking 25,000,000 people along with it. In 1347, a mysterious pandemic appeared in the city-states of Italy just as Europe was recovering from famine. The Epidemic did not end until 1351 partly due to the belief of the people that this plague was spread through the air and was gods way of punishing them for their sins. Although this plague killed many people, its effects led life to the way it is today. The three most important effects of the Black Death on Western Europe were the changing relationships between people and the church, the People beginning to express their faith and opinions through artwork, and the fact that Jews were blamed for the outbreak of the disease and were targeted by Europeans.
“An introduction to climate change.” Natural Resource Defense Council. Natural Resources Defense Council 8 November 2015 n. pag. Web. 28 November 2015.
The commonly debated “greenhouse effect” refers to “the global average temperature increase that has been observed over the last one hundred years or more” (Spencer). President Barack Obama addressed the issue in an effort to highlight its severity, "We have to all shoulder the responsibility for keeping the planet habitable, or we’re going to suffer the consequences – together” (Leader). The earth’s increasing atmospheric and oceanic temperatures result in climate changes due to cumulative amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere. As an outcome, researchers around the globe have established that the by-product of burning fossil fuels is the main culprit of the increasing temperatures. Global carbon emissions from fossil fuels have significantly increased since 1900, as shown above from a study carried out by the Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center.
Because the Earth is slowly warming up, heat waves, for example, have been occurring more frequently and for longer durations. According to the Climate Communications, “In 2010, 19 countries set new all-time record high temperatures, but not a single country set a new all-time record…” (Overview). Comparing this to Gore’s speech, eighteen countries have experienced all new highs in heat since the European heat wave in 2003. This increase in temperature is due to the shifting of the climates in specific regions as an after effect of global warming.
When this phone released, it was only available on a first come first serve basis with a limitation of two phones per customer. [1] The trademark for this phone and future iPhone developments was its home button. The iPhone 3 was completely touchscreen (other than the home button), had a metal rear casing, a 3.5-inch display, and was initially the foundation for future modern smartphones to come. [6] Apple was proud to announce that on September 10, 2007, 74 days after its release the iPhone 3 sold its 1 millionth phone. [1] iPhone was included in TIMEs All Time 100 Greatest and Most Influential Gadgets where TIME honored this original phone, not its latest model, for “the way it rocked the mobile-phone industry” (8 Years of the iPhone: An Interactive Timeline,
Of all the effects of global warming, the extreme weather that is taking place all over the world is the most obvious one. Global warming will bring more heat waves, drought, fiercer wildfires and stronger hurricanes. “This intensification of weather and climate extremes will be the most visible impact of global warming in our everyday lives” (75 yrs NWF). Due to rising temperatures, places everywhere will be affected as we get more extremely hot summer days and lesser winters. In addition, as these rising temperatures shifts the cycle of rain and increases evaporation, there will be longer and drier droughts which in turn can lower the water supply for life everywhere. Wildfires can turn out to be even more catastrophic due to warmer temperatures and drier areas combined with accumulated levels of fuel loads in the forest which has built up as a result of decades of fire suppression activities. Moreover, stronger hurricanes are also an effect of global warming as sea levels are rising and heavier rains are falling near the coasts. Overall, global warming is bringing climates that are changing real fast.
Williams, Laurence O. An End to Global Warming. Ohio: Pergamno, 2012. Web 13 May 2015
The burning of fossil fuels has greatly harmed our environment and is a leading cause as to why climate change has become such a threat to our way of living. In May of 2013, the carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere reached 400 parts per million, an increase of more than 40 percent since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution. This could cause the Arctic Ocean to be nearly ice-free during the summer by 2020(Overland and Wang, 2013).
The Centers for Disease Control have been involved in studying global warming's effect on human health. Its affect on the climate can adversely affect humans. Plagues have been attributed to global warming. An increase in temperature can result in a longer life cycle for diseases or the agents spreading them.” Global warming will lead to more precipitation, which enables infectious diseases to be more easily contracted and spread.” (2) Effects of global warming on human health might not be immediately detected.