PDF DOWNLOAD Enviromedics: The Impact of Climate Change on Human Health

2. Enviromedics: The Impact of Climate Change on Human Health

4. Description Save Mother Earth A changing environment impacts global human health. Our goal is to spark curiosity, observation, discussion, and analysis. In order to ignite and fuel the discussion to effect real changes, we need to emphasize medical conditions that are with us every day. Human health is the common denominator that overlaps all boundaries of geography, science, politics, and economics. We believe that no significant change in our approach to preservation of the planet will occur until influential people begin to believe that profoundly detrimental medical situations are linked to environmental behaviors. This is no different from the reasoning we use to combat obesity, tobacco use, genocide, and nuclear war. By writing this book, we introduce the fusion science and term Enviromedics, defined as the impact of environmental change upon human health. No Way Out Hot and dry – they go hand in hand. As temperatures climb and rainfall diminishes, grass turns brown, leaves wither and die, and undergrowth becomes brittle. Verdant forests become flammable fuel, endless until it burns and is reduced to ashes.When a dry forest goes up in flames, it spews embers and fireballs, and overruns the terrain and dwellings with ferocity unmatched by any other natural disaster. It was 'dry lightning' that caused the fire. In the midst of a forest, the tallest cluster of trees beckoned to the bottom of a dark grey anvil overhead, and Thor could not resist. In a mighty instant, the match struck in the heavens ignited the ground below. Tom and Sally lived in a log cabin in the woods and had cleared a 20-foot perimeter around the foundation. If fire struck, they would battle only briefly, and escape with their valuables when it became apparent that their dwelling couldn’t be saved. They realized that their plan was cutting it close, but they knew the forest service roads near their property like the back of their hand. The fire started five miles away, and dense smoke came early, pushed by the wind. It turned the incandescent sun into an orange ball. A neighbor drove up to their home and shouted that everyone in the area had been given instructions to evacuate. Helicopters carrying huge bags of water pulled from lakes and planes spraying brightly colored retardant chemicals flew overhead. War was being waged on this fire. Nobody wants to abandon their home. Tom mistakenly thought they could tough it out for another 15 minutes. 'We’ll be right behind you,' he assured his friend. That would be the last time they saw each other. The wall of fire came fast and unexpectedly from two directions. The inferno burned everything in its path. By the time that Tom realized that Sally was not responding, she was face down in the backyard, crushed by a fallen tree limb. In a desperate attempt to save himself, he quickly dug a shallow pit in the ground, knelt down, and covered up with an old silver 'space blanket.' In a lesser fire, this might have saved his life, but this was no lesser fire. The scalding air and flames made quick work of Tom, and destroyed his home and thousands of acres of surrounding forest. It was one of dozens of fires triggered by the same weather system, in a pattern that would be repeated often as weather and fuel combined to create a perpetual fire hazard. Vector-borne Diseases A warmer world will create newly hospitable habitats for insect vectors (such as mosquitoes, ticks, and fleas) and the

5. diseases they carry. As average global temperature creeps up, mosquitoes will thrive at higher latitudes and altitudes. In the northern hemisphere, they are increasing their natural habitat. Increasing temperature increases the rate at which the infectious organisms carried by the vector can replicate within insects, which direct correlates to infectivity in humans. In a warmer climate, malaria, dengue, West Nile virus disease, Lyme disease, and Zika virus infection will increasingly account for much of the global burden of disease. Flood Flood is the most common natural disaster in both developed and developing countries. Floods are expected to increase worldwide in intensity and frequency from both extreme weather events and sea level rise. In the 20th century alone, there have been dozens of floods that resulted in more than 10,000 deaths apiece. Direct and instantaneous effects, such as trauma or drowning, occur in the chaos of rising, rushing waters. Days after the flood, the risk of infectious disease spikes because of exposure to stagnant and contaminated water. Months to years later, the toll on mental health from loss and displacement becomes very evident. Many drownings, particularly in high-income nations, occur when occupied motor vehicles are swept away. The elderly are at great risk of flood-related morbidity due to their physiologic vulnerability, and because they are more likely to ignore recommendations to leave flooding homes, or even to refuse evacuation. Injuries can occur from fast moving, debris-laden floodwaters. Post-flood environments are dangerous. They are full of broken and sharp objects, downed power lines, and hazardous materials. In the days after a flood, another peril often emerges. Floods act as a giant environmental blender, mixing industrial wastes, drinking water, and sewage together, leaving pools of stagnant and contaminated water in close proximity to humans. The Final Diagnosis If Earth is warming because of global climate change, then human health will suffer. We do not appear to be on a good path. If we need fertile fields to grow crops and livestock, oceans to supply precious nutrients, clean air to breathe, and weather patterns that don’t continuously threaten large populations, we need to make prompt decisions. Human history is replete with creativity, resilience, determination, and optimism. Let’s get going.

6. BOOK COVER

7. DOWNLOAD NOW