Ayushi Patel

November 9th, 2017

Professor Malcolm

UWRT 1104

Is our health in trouble because of global warming?

According to Pew Research, which gives many data on different things based on peoples

response, almost 23% of the population think that global warming is not a serious issue to be

handling it and some countries do not even consider the fact that it is an issue. There are many

health study cases on children being diagnosed with asthma, respiratory diseases or

cardiovascular diseases because of air pollution, either caused from outside environment or

inside home environment. It is hard to consider global warming a serious health issue in many

countries because many low-income countries cannot afford to provide resources such as proper

cooking gas systems, etc. to control global warming rates. There are some countries that have

ability to resources, to control the rates of global warming, but some countries simply do not care

about these issues, because they are confirmed on how to increase their economy and growth in

their country and an example of a country would be China. Since many of these health issues are

being ignored, thousands to millions of people die because of an increase in global warming rates

in the world. Why should people care about global warming? Is it even a serious issue?

On December 1997, the United Nation Conference on Climate Change was held in

Kyoto, Japan, where about 10,000 policy makers and almost 150 countries were present to

discuss about making a treaty on restraining emission of gases which overheat Earths

atmosphere and changing global weather from outburst of heat waves and drought from
dangerous storms such as hurricanes. According to Mark Bergman article Global Warming: Not

just Hot Air, the lower atmosphere of Earths temperature rises yearly from 0.3(deg) to 0.6(deg)

Celsius since 1890. He also mentions that surface temperature of Earths would rise from 1(deg)

to 3.5(deg) Celsius. With these predications, we can conclude that without greenhouse effects,

our Earths temperature would be -18(deg) Celsius, during winter season and sudden changes in

temperature would mean no life on Earth. The main causes of gas pollution are from factories,

cars, toxic erosions from dirt to water, such as carbon dioxide, which 60% cause of global

warming, halocarbons are 20% cause of global warming, methane is 15% cause of global

warming and finally, nitrogen oxide is 5% cause of global warming.

A law was passed in United States in 1970 called Clean Air Act to help Earth and health

of people by cutting down on carbon emission on cars, recycling energy and producing more

power plants. 21st United Nation Conference was held in Paris, were almost 200 countries were

present and their main goal for their conference was reducing carbon dioxide emissions. Barack

Obama came up with the Clean Power Plan through his executive powers which would allow

carbon emission to reduce it by 32% by 2030. This was one the greatest law passed to help the

world and their health issues.

According to Jill U Adam article, Air Pollution and Climate Change another main

cause of pollution, which is causing health problems is Ozone layer being destroyed every year.

The ozone layer protects Earth from deadly radiation and prevents such health issues as cancer or

burns, but the increase in pollution has damaged the Ozone layer and increased the temperature

of Earths surface. One of the most ozone polluted states in United States are California, Texas,

Nevada, Arizona, New York, New Jersey, Oklahoma, and Colorado. A medical literature of
Environmental Protect Agency, wrote that in 2010 about 1,500 to 4,300 premature deaths were

declared, 5,300 hearth attack, and 58,000 asthma attacks because of overheat temperature from

damaged Ozone layer.

According to Climate change and human health: present and future risks article by

Anthony McMichael, due to thick smog and not being able to see while traveling is a huge

global hazard.. Numbers of car traveling on the road could be hazardous for drivers and drivers

surrounded by them. Global warming can be affected in many ways as we saw above and some

those ways are by air pollution indoor and outside, damaging ozone layer, and etc.

One of the biggest health issue ever discovered in 1979 by National Institution of Health

(NIH) is asthma. National Institution of Health (NIH) was able to connect that indoor air

pollution was cause of asthma epidemic among youngsters. According to CQ Researcher Article

Asthma Epidemic, less than one year old boy named Aaron had irregular cough, sounding

almost close as he was choking then, which are classic symptoms of asthma. Doctors were able

to prescribe antibiotics for Aaron and control on his diet when he grows up. A study done in

Germany by National Institution of Health (NIH) showed results that they had a high rate in air

pollution which showed increase in cases of asthma or a respiratory disease. Many of the high

rates were skewed toward indoor air pollution mainly smoking, fireplace (burning coals) and gas

air vents.

One of the great ways to prevent high cases of asthma which was used by NIH is

educating patients and students in adolescents on recognizing asthma symptoms and way to

prevent it at home. In NBC news, a 14-year-old boy, was infected by amoeba bacteria after

diving in Lake Havasu, Arizona. According to doctors, increase in water temperature, water
created an amoeba bacteria and leading to infectious disease for humans. Increase in temperature

is because of global warming. As per World Health Organization (WHO), many causes of death

are cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease and cancer. Jill Adams mentioned in his article

named Air Pollution and Climate Change, air pollution has killed about 3.3 million people in

one year around the world and 55,000 were killed in United States. Many of these pollutants are

airborne pollutant (toxic agents) and carbon dioxide (CO2). Increase in temperature has caused

many wild fires and causing peoples lives and homes. Many people were also burned from fire

which would last for days.. Many people choose to take global warming as not a serious issue

because they believe that it doesnt affect their lives.

There are countries who are seriously affected by global warming and they are either able

to do something about but choose to ignore or simply cannot afford to fix the issue. Those

countries are China, India, and Pakistan and all three of these countries are neighbors.

China is considered one of the most polluted countries in the world because of their

increase in economy. Since China wanted to increase their economy, they had to start with

industries/ factories for productions and increase in construction work, this has helped boom

Chinas economy. Chinas air pollution is known for thick smog in the cities areas only, but they

are decreasing there air pollution rates gradually every year.

India is another country that has high pollution rates for many years. . India is one of

those countries that does not make improvements on global warming since it is a low- middle

income country. India is not able to spend expenses to make their global environment rates lower

by giving out proper stoves to the family who are not able to afford one, that does not use coal

for the fire. Using coal to start the fire, risks respiratory disease to women especially, because

majority of time cooking is done by females only. India is increase in pollution mainly due to
large usage of fireworks because of festival purposes. There are 62 units in PM 2.5 (Particular

Matter size of bacteria (2.5 size)) in India which is fairly-high comparing number to other

countries. There are 68 deaths per 100,000 people from air pollution in India, according to

environmental scientist named Mosher and Gould India is considered one the largest pollution in

the world which result in more use of motor vehicles and causing more pollution. Pakistan is

another country that has high rate in pollution because Pakistan a developing country which

mean more uses of industries to create a higher economy for future betterment. Pakistan is

known for low-income country which could cause a funding issue from the government. China,

India, and Pakistan are top countries who have high rates in air pollution, deaths because of

pollution and large use of carbon emission from transportation. (Mosher, Gould)

In conclusion, there are many causes of global warming and some of them are carbon

dioxide, halocarbons (hydrocarbons), methane, nitrogen oxide. Many of these causes are from

factories, cars, smoking, etc. These sets of causes either affect the outside environment such as

thick fog/ smog or inside (home) environment such as using coal for fire to make food which

mainly happens in low- income countries. These causes impacts on our health such as asthma,

cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease, cancer, etc. Global warming has killed almost 3.3

million people in world every year because of many health impacts on human population. Global

warming is an issue in China, India, and Pakistan for past few years. China is gradually

decreasing its global warming rates every year because now they are able to provide and make

sources to control their global warming rates. India and Pakistan are not quite able to control

their global warming rates because of lack of money and resources to help the population. Some

way to prevent is global warming in our community is mainly saving energy and try using public

transportation instead of our motor vehicles to get to places.

Global warming is not reduced by preventive methods only. They can also be reduced by

providing funds to low- middle income countries and educate the population on how proper gas

stoves should be used to lit the fire instead of coal. Another way for middle- high income

countries, are by cleaning air vents and making sure they can provide better suction of harmful

air. Global warming rates could also be reduced by emission of waste in lakes or rivers from

factories. Lake or river water is used during evaporation process, which causes toxic

environment after precipitation occurs. Breathing in toxic environment could lead to various

health issues. Such improvement in the environment would make a vast difference in rate in

many countries.
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Adams, Jill U. "Air Pollution and Climate Change." CQ Researcher, 13 Nov. 2015, pp. 961-84,

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