As part of National Health Week the White house released new scientific assessments on the impacts of climate change on human health. (Photo : You Tube/The White House)
The United States government warned people that climate change will cause massive deaths and sickness by year 2030. This report was released on April 3, Monday, after researchers recently completed their study on the impacts of climate change to health.
The findings were published on Global Change and it took three years for the health and science experts to finish the investigation. At the end, they found that air pollution, severe weather and intense heat resulting from drastic change in climate will increase the probability of hospitalizations and deaths among the citizens.
"This isn't just about glaciers and the polar bears; it's about the health of our family and our kids," Syndney Morning Herald quoted Gina McCarthy, administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, as saying.
She added that in order to protect everyone as well as the future generations, it is important to make people become aware of the negative effects of climate change to health "that are already happening and those we expect to see down the road."
To carry out the study, the researchers focused on figuring out the most life-threatening effects of climate change to health of the people. They gathered details of direct consequences as well as possible epidemics that the changing climate may bring.
The experts found that the worsening pollution will cause premature deaths due to chronic respiratory problems. They also outlined the rising temperature which causes heat waves. It was said that deaths from extreme heat can rise from the average 1,300 to 27,000 people per year.
Moreover, the heat can also trigger forest fires and its fumes is a big threat to residents because they can develop lung problems or worsen the condition of those with asthma. The researchers foresee more deaths due to heat than cold in the future.
Aside from these illnesses, it was also discovered that climate change can also adversely affect mental health. Because of the terrifying experiences from natural disasters such as typhoons and severe floodings, scientists said that people can suffer from post traumatic stress disorder, anxiety or depression.
Nevertheless, with the dangerous impact of climate change, the U.S. government immediately rolled out several initiatives in an effort to prevent the deaths or at least minimize the worst scenario in case of climate related catastrophe.
John Holdren, President Obama's senior science advisor, said that they will work out plans to combat the risks to health as stated in the report.
"We will need a big encore after 2030 ... in order to the bulk of the worst impacts described in this report," he said.
Watch the discussion on the impacts of climate change to human health in the U.S.
