Climate change ruining health today

According to the Global Risks Report 2018, prepared by the World Economic Forum, the greatest threat to world order and stabilization in the next decade are extreme weather phenomena. Due to the observed climate changes, they will haunt us more and more often. Research results confirm the interactions and links between climate change indicators and the health of the general population. These links are both direct threats (e.g. deaths caused by extreme weather events such as storms and tornadoes) and indirect ones (e.g. vector-borne diseases by mosquitoes). Vector diseases already account for over 17 percent of all infectious diseases, causing over 700,000 deaths annually.

“When talking about the impact of climate change on human health, it is impossible to ignore heat waves. For example, the heat wave in August 2003 in Europe led to 70,000 deaths in 12 countries. Climate change is also related to the increase in the incidence of allergic diseases. In hot weather, with air stagnation and lack of rainfall, the concentration of allergens and pollen in the air increases. The number of patients suffering from allergic rhinitis and bronchial asthma has doubled over the last dozen or so years,” Krzysztof Skotak, head of the Integrated Environmental Research Center of the Institute of Environmental Protection and National Research Institute, implementing the Klimada 2.0 project, commented.

The observed changes in temperature and the frequency of precipitation in connection with the observed frequent periods of air stagnation directly affect the level of air pollution, which is already a serious threat to health.

(WBJ)