Climate Change Is Undoing Global Health Progress

by Mike Smith · 2009-10-15 07:40:00 UTC
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Climate change will be felt the most by those least able to combat it: people in the developing world who already struggle. Emissions by the developed world is changing the climate, causing more extreme weather events and sea-levels rises that the developing world just won't be able to handle. Indeed, poorer nations will bear 75-80% of the cost of floods, desertification, and other disasters. Climate change is a huge problems for global health, fiercer for those already experiencing problems. With climate-related problems of malaria, malnutrition and diarrhoea adding even more billions to the global health bill, negating so much positive action.

Indeed, an increasing number of diseases, which peak in warmer months, are being attributed to the changing climate. Warmer weather has some positives: it may allow a little more food be grown in parts of Russia, but it will also bring longer droughts, famine and food shortages to the rest of the world: "2.7 billion people live in regions where climate change will interact with underlying economic, social and political problems, with a high risk of violent conflict." More wars, more famine, more disease. As we struggle to end all three, our work is being undone every year that we fail to take significant, international action to cut our dependence on fossil fuels, invest in renewable energy, and rethinking our destructive habits.

Governments can take the most significant action and make the biggest difference. Today, I'm joining with 9,000 blogs around the world as part of Blog Action Day to demand action on climate change, and right now I'm signing the action demanding Obama takes bold and significant action. Next year, I'll be reducing my emissions by 10%.

Photo credit: Silus Grok

Mike Smith
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