CONSEQUENCES OF CLIMATE CHANGE ON HEALTH, AND PATHWAYS TO SOLUTIONS.

By: Akpabli Amenyo Gabriel

Improper disposal of waste in our communities.

Health is defined as a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. This clearly emphasizes the importance of controlling human activities that bring to fore climate change such as burning fossils, fumes from exhaust pipes etc. By controlling or mitigating these practices, we can foster comfort, happiness, and good health which centers on our well-being.

 The impact of climate change on health and well-being emanates from the shifts in temperatures and weather patterns. Some of these occur naturally due to the solar activity while human activities such as indiscriminate burning causes green house effect(carbon methane).The increase in the frequency and strength of extreme events such as floods, droughts, and storms threaten human health and safety. These occurrences can be traced to human activities that influence climate change which in turn affect our health and well-being. For instance, human activities such as improper disposal of rubbish, especially during the rainy season, with the notion that the rain water will carry it away, leads to the accumulation of filth and mosquito breeding which cause diseases like malaria. This menace also causes flood as sometimes the gutters get choked, making it difficult for the water to flow freely. This then causes damage of properties and the displacement of families.

A gutter filled with rubbish which serves as a breeding ground for mosquitoes. 

Various mechanisms such as burning of fossils, fumes from cars, etc. affect the quality of air that we breath in, causing or leading to respiratory problems and cardiovascular diseases. In Ghana, the rate at which we pollute the air is very high. This amounts to the growing number of respiratory and cardiovascular diseases in the country. When these fumes and dangerous gases go into the atmosphere, they come back to affect us also in the form of acid rain, which destroys farms and food crops.

Talking with Madam Bridget Addae, a climate change activist, she stated that heat generated in the environment which leads to rising temperatures also causes heat exhaustion and heat stroke which affect vulnerable populations such as the elderly and children. These are just but a few activities humans engage themselves in that impact health and well-being. 

Some solutions to the dire effects of climate change on health and wellbeing are as follows:

1. Improving farming and encouraging vegan diets.

2. Restoring nature to absorb more carbon.

3. Protecting the ocean which helps absorb heat.

4. Investing in renewable energy. 

Watch the video below to know the consequences of climate change on health and also the pathways to solutions.👇👇👇👇👇👇👇

ABOUT THE WRITER 

Akpabli Amenyo Gabriel is a young man who is pursuing a degree in Journalism at the University of Media, Arts and Communication - Institute of Journalism. He also acts as a scriptwriter for the Caring Climate Chronicles blog. 

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