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Abstract
Today, Global Warming is a worldwide issue that affects our planet and our health.
Global Warming is the heating of our planet Earth, causing the drastic change in our climate and
the greenhouse effect. Climate change and the greenhouse effect are two major factors affecting
the environment and health of all living things. There was previously an ongoing debate on the
cause of Global Warming, but not until recently has it been proven that people and the burning of
carbon dioxide are part of the reason behind Global Warming. Most people are aware of the
concept of Global Warming, however they are not aware of how it affects their health. The
purpose of this literature review is to inform and to become more aware of the causes and
impacts of Global Warming and climate change. Through a conducted survey the results will
Introduction
Global Warming is a controversial issue that causes the planet earth to heat up. The
increase in temperature is known as climate change, which impacts the health of the human race
and their environments. Part of what causes climate change is the greenhouse effect, which is the
emittance of greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide and methane, that trap heat into the
planet, similar to a greenhouse. Instead of the heat being reflected back into the solar system, it
stays trapped inside the atmosphere because of the depletion of ozone from the greenhouse
gases. Since the beginning of the industrial revolution, people have been burning fossil fuels and
increasing the output of carbon dioxide, the leading greenhouse gas, which destroys the ozone in
the atmosphere. The increase in the the production of this gas has been a factor in the sudden and
drastic change of Earths climate. This sudden change is the reason behind some natural disasters
and disease. Such disasters include hurricanes and flooding, while some of the diseases include
Global Warming and climate change have impacted our health by vector borne disease,
natural disasters, and rise in temperature. However, it is still unsure on what causes Global
Warming. The Earth has been naturally increasing in the average temperature, and the meltdown
of the ice age is a perfect example to prove this theory. The debate of the cause has been
ongoing, but the effects are just as alarming and should be taken into consideration through the
These questions will further review the purpose of this literature review by providing the cause
There is currently an ongoing controversial issue on the cause of Global Warming. Some
scientists claim it caused by natural processes, while others claim it is caused by human activity.
Since the ice age, ice has been melting for centuries, but in modern times we also contribute to
the heating of our planet Earth with pollution and the emittance of greenhouse gases. There is no
doubt that the average temperature of our planet has increased over time, but the increasing rate
of the average temperature of Earth, that has recently been documented over the last few years is
very alarming. According to Michael Lemonick, David Bjerkilie, Robert Boyle, Andrea
Dorfman, and Dick Thompson, A decade ago, the idea that the planet was warming up as a
result of human activity was largely theoreticalNot anymore. As an authoritative report issued
a few weeks ago by the U.N.-sponsored Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change makes
plain, the trend toward a warmer world has unquestionably begun. (Lemonick, Bjerkilie, Boyle,
Dorfman, Thompson, 2001.) The unnatural rise in temperature is affecting our planet and is
partially caused by human activity. Scientists no longer doubt that global warming is happening,
and almost nobody questions the fact that humans are at least partly responsible. (Lemonick,
Bjerkilie, Boyle, Dorfman, Thompson, 2001.) According to Michael Lemonick, David Bjerkilie,
Robert Boyle, Andrea Dorfman, and Dick Thompson, humans have already increased the
Running Head: THE IMPACTS OF GLOBAL WARMING !5
concentration of carbon dioxide up to 30% above pre-industrial-levels, and each year the rate
increases.(Lemonick, Bjerkilie, Boyle, Dorfman, Thompson, 2001.) The increase of this rate will
only lead to hotter temperatures and significantly larger and disastrous impacts. Lemonick,
Bjerkilie, Boyle, Dorfman, and Thompson also state that, By 2100, says the IPCC, average
temperatures will increase between 2.5F and 10.4F--more than 50% higher than predictions of
just a half-decade ago. (Lemonick, Bjerkilie, Boyle, Dorfman, Thompson, 2001.) This proves
that such drastic changes could not have been solely caused by natural processes, but human
activity is partially responsible for the cause and effects of Global Warming and climate change.
Global Warming affects human health directly and indirectly. The effects of global
warming include vector borne diseases such as malaria, and natural disasters such as hurricanes.
Another effect on human health from global warming is an increase in pulmonary syndromes,
such as asthma. According to Alan McGregor, from the Lancet Issue, states that, Most emerging
diseases are caused by changes in "microbial traffic". Examples include dengue hantavirus
pulmonary syndrome, and some hemorrhagic fevers. (McGregor, 1996.) Asthma is one of the
leading pulmonary diseases and the amount of cases has recently increased due to climate change
and Global Warming. According to a video clip by HelathyDevs, other diseases such as malaria
and west nile are vectors borne diseases that have also recently increased in the amount of cases
found due to the increase in temperature. Another example by HealthyDevs from the effects of
Global Warming includes flooding. Imagine a small village that has been flooded and because of
Running Head: THE IMPACTS OF GLOBAL WARMING !6
climate change the flooding waters have contaminated the drinking water, causing everyone in
the village to become ill. They cannot consume the nutrients needed to restore their health
because the contaminated water has also stopped the growth of the main food source, the plants.
(HealthyDevs, 2015.)
Another way to see how the climate change has effected our health is to look at the
relationship between mortality rates and temperature change. According to Yasushi Honda,
Shift of the short-term tem peratu rem ortality relationship by a climate factor 217
Global Warming is a known worldwide issue that the average person is mostly aware of,
they are however unaware of the effects. Based on a survey conducted by Anaiz Ramirez, it was
found that 100% of the people asked had known of the issue of global warming and climate
change. When asked the effects of climate change, only 55% of them were able to give a
response that regarded their health. This was based on a survey answered by 20 people whose
ages range from sixteen to fifty-seven. Most people are aware of the issue, but dont understand
or choose to ignore how it affects them and their health. What was also concluded from the
survey was that the group of people who were aware of the effects on their health were the
According to Melinda Villagran, Melinda Weathers, Brian Keefe, and Lisa Sparks, from
communication education, Health Literacy is the degree to which individuals have the capacity
to obtain, process and understand basic health information and services needed to make
appropriate health decisions that may affect the health of Americans and the ability of the
healthcare system to provide effective, high quality care.(Villagran, Weathers, Keefe, Sparks,
2010.) They also stated that communication that educates patients is guided by there need for
health information, as well as their ability to use these messages in decision making. (Villagran,
Weathers, Keefe, and Sparks, 2010.) Based on the survey, it can be seen that in order for the
participants to be aware of the effects on their health it would be beneficial to become more
health literate.
For someone to become more aware of the effects on their health, the most reasonable
person to communicate with would be a health care provider. According to Villagran, Weathers,
Running Head: THE IMPACTS OF GLOBAL WARMING !8
Keefe, and Sparks, their findings have shown that a health care provider is an expert source of
health information, and therefore highlight the excellent opportunity providers have to both
educate and motivate patients on Global Warming and climate change issues.(Villagran,
Weathers, Keefe, and Sparks, 2010.) Reaching out to a health care provider according to their
findings is one of the most influential ways to improve the knowledge of climate change, even
though not all cases will lead to action from the patient. The results did show however, that the
knowledge is positively associated with efficiency. Therefore it is important for health care
As mentioned before Global Warming is a very serious issue that effects our heath and
environment. These direct and indirect effects of Global Warming have caused worldwide
problems that need solutions. Such solutions include technological advances and the Kyoto
Protocol Agreement. According to the Research Institute for Innovative Technologies for the
Earth (RITE) there are five major projects, three ongoing and two under evaluation, that can be
used to significantly reduce carbon dioxide emissions.(RITE, 2001.) One of the ways RITE plans
on reducing carbon dioxide emissions is by a project called the Desert Plantation Projects. The
purpose of this project is to plant vegetation on a large scale in desert areas to cope with well
known problems of greening. The projects targets using genetic engineering to develop new
plants that can withstand dry conditions and strong sunlight. This project focusses on improving
the ability of enzymes to take in carbon dioxide through photosynthesis, develop chloroplast
transformation technology, and to enhance active oxygen elimination systems.(RITE) The Kyoto
Running Head: THE IMPACTS OF GLOBAL WARMING !9
Protocol Agreement is an international treaty, by the United Nations organization, that commits
these nations to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide that is released into the atmosphere.
Although theses are examples of prevention of Global Warming on a national level, their are also
Another form of prevention for Global Warming is to reduce your carbon footprint. A
carbon footprint is the amount of carbon dioxide a single person or household burns. Examples
include the use of electricity, cooking red with burns coal or gas, and the average amount of time
spent driving. According to David Schwartz some ways to reduce your carbon footprint and save
money is by, reducing water costs, power usage, and decreasing maintenance costs.(Schwartz,
2016.) By reducing these few things a single person or family could save money, while also
Conclusion
significant amount of data. Global Warming is a very serious matter that most people dont
understand how it impacts them directly. It was found that Global Warming and climate change
is partially caused by human activity, and does effect the health of all living thimgs. Now that
there are technological advances, we can reduce the amount of carbon dioxide emitted, helping
to prevent or reduce Global Warming. There is no longer a need for a debate on the issue, as it
can be seen that Global Warming is happening, it is effecting people and their health, and there
References
HealthyDevs. (2015, December 16). Climate Change Adaptation and Health: It is time to act.
Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6JgE0aTEFpQ
Honda, Y., Ono, M., Sasaki, A., & Uchiyama, I. (1998). Shift of the short-term temperature
mortality relationship by a climate factor - some evidence necessary to take account of in
estimating the health effect of global warming. Journal Of Risk Research
Lemonick, M. D., Bjerklie, D., Boyle, R. H., Dorfman, A., & Thompson, D. (2001). LIFE IN
THE GREENHOUSE. (Cover story). Time, 157(14), 24.
McGregor, A. (1996). Reports stoke up evidence for health effects of global warming. Lancet,
348(9021), 188.
Research Institute for Innovative Technologies for the Earth (RITE). TECHNOLOGIES TO
PREVENT GLOBAL WARMING. (2001). Japanese High Energy Efficiency & Clean
Energy Technologies, 1(5), 3.
Villagran, M., Weathers, M., Keefe, B., & Sparks, L. (2010). Medical Providers as Global
Warming and Climate Change Health Educators: A Health Literacy Approach.
Communication Education