We all like to bag on celebrities who jump on the ‘green’ bandwagon in order to get some positive publicity. The thing is that global warming is really a major issue facing us today. Here is a tiny summary I took from a long report about the expected impacts climate change will have. The sad thing is that the lives we lead of mass consumption are actually going to have the most detrimental effect on those living in developing countries (who ironically have little to do with greenhouse gase emmissions). It seems so unfair to expect them to pay for our relatively cheap lives of luxury.
Projected climate change-related exposures are likely to affect the health status of millions of people, particularly those with low adaptive capacity (the means developing nations) through: 1. Increases in malnutrition and consequent disorders, with implications for child growth and development 2. Increased deaths, disease and injury due to heat waves, floods, storms, fires and droughts;3. The increased burden of diarrhoeal disease; this is the biggest killer of children worldwide today, primarily in developing countries.4. The increased frequency of cardio-respiratory diseases due to higher concentrations of ground level ozone related to climate change5. The altered spatial distribution of some infectious disease vectors.
New studies confirm that Africa is one of the most vulnerable continents to climate variability and change because of multiple stresses and low adaptive capacity. Yields from rain-fed agriculture could be reduced by up to 50% by 2020. Fisheries are also expected to decrease significantly and water availability will be reduced. Droughts are already having a devastating effect on African food supplies and this has led to rises in conflict and violence in the area.
Click here for a few tips on helping to reduce global warming
Posted by: Jane
Slaggage, Speaking...