ANTC68H3 Chapter : Week4.Epstein.ANTC68.docx
Document Summary
Week # 4: climate change and human health by paul r. epstein. Extreme weather events reflect massive and ongoing changes in our climate to which biologic systems on all continents are reacting. Humans are playing a huge role in causing changes through deforestation and combustion of fossil fuels that produce heat trapping gases such as carbon dioxide. Problems that are happening: atmospheric warming, accumulation of carbondioxide, polar and alpine ice is melting, deep ocean is heating up, circumpolar winds are accerlerationg, warming in the lower atmosphere is retarding the repair of the protective ozone shield. Health challenges: death due to heat waves. Increased rate of asthma and resitpartory irritants: physical trauma of melting ice leading to accidents, resurgence of infectious diseases due to declining biodiversity, warming temperature increasing viability of vectors such as mice and mosquitoes, hantavirus, malaria, west nile.