ORLANDO, Fla. (Ivanhoe Newswire) — The World Health Organization estimates that between 2030 and 2050, climate change will cause 250 thousand additional deaths per year due to malnutrition, malaria, diarrhea, and heat stress. The good news is there are ways you can help. Climate change.
You’ve probably heard about how climate change can affect the environment, but what about your health?
A new Swedish study found more people become hospitalized due to hyponatremia, a serious electrolyte disorder, when temperatures surpass 59 degrees Fahrenheit. The study authors predict that if temperatures rise at the rate projected in the next few years, cases of hyponatremia will increase by about 14 percent.
Leslie Poole, PhD, Assoc. Professor, Environmental Studies, Rollins College says, “Protecting the environment can seem like a really overwhelming task, but in fact, little things matter.”
Start by limiting meat consumption. Meat and dairy are responsible for 14.5 percent of manmade global greenhouse gas emissions. Also, choose LED bulbs. They use a quarter of the energy. Turn your water heater down to 120 degrees Fahrenheit. This can save about 550 pounds of CO2 a year! Bike or use public transportation when you can. An average car produces about five tons of CO2 each year. And buy clothing from thrift shops. The average American discards about 80 pounds of clothing each year and 85 percent ends up in landfills! With ways to reduce your global footprint and possibly improve your health, Ivanhoe reports.
According to NASA, the average surface temperature of the earth has risen about two degrees Fahrenheit since the late 19th century. And the last seven years have been the warmest on record. By the way, CBS estimates that “it takes 2,400 gallons of water to produce one pair of jeans.”
Contributors to this news report include: Julie Marks, Producer; Roque Correa, Editor and Videographer
Sources:
https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/climate-change-and-health
https://news.climate.columbia.edu/2018/12/27/35-ways-reduce-carbon-footprint/
https://europa.eu/youth/get-involved/sustainable-development/how-reduce-my-carbon-footprint_en
https://climate.nasa.gov/evidence/
CLIMATE CHANGE AND YOUR HEALTH: PREVENTING HYPONATREMIA
REPORT #2979
BACKGROUND: Climate change refers to long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns. These changes typically happen naturally, however, since the 1800s, human behaviors have been the main cause primarily due to burning fossil fuels like coal, oil, and gas. The burning of these fossil fuels generates greenhouse gas emissions that act like a blanket wrapped around the Earth. This blanket traps the sun’s heat and raises temperatures. The consequences of this include intense droughts, water scarcity, severe fires, rising sea levels, flooding, melting polar ice, catastrophic storms, and declining biodiversity. Climate change can affect health, the ability to grow food, housing, safety, and work. Some are already more vulnerable to climate impacts, such as people living in small island nations and other developing countries.
(Source: https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/what-is-climate-change)
RISING TEMPERATURES CAUSING HOSPITALIZATION: Seasonal changes in temperatures have been linked to an increase in the frequency of hyponatremia in patients admitted to emergency rooms in summer months. Researchers at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden used data from the National Patient Register (NPR) to study the incidence rates for hyponatremia at a given outdoor temperature, in increments of 1 degree Celsius. They retrieved data on the 24-hour mean temperature of the day when each patient was admitted. On the hottest days, women, and those over 80 were at the highest risk. Those over 80 were 15 times more likely to be hospitalized due to hyponatremia compared to cooler days. The study estimates that an average increase in temperature of 1 degree Celsius will lead to a 6.3% increase in the incidence of hospitalizations, and an increase of 2 degrees, according to projections, would result in a 13.9% increase. The team will look to expand their findings to other countries with warmer climates and seek to uncover whether there is a different threshold in regions with higher temperatures.
CLIMATE CHANGE BREAKTHROUGH: A California company that is enhancing natural solutions in plants to improve carbon capture, shared research demonstrating that photosynthesis-enhanced trees can capture 27% more carbon dioxide due to a faster growth rate. Maddie Hall, co-founder and CEO of Living Carbon says, “We have surpassed the point where reducing emissions alone will be enough to rebalance our ecosystems and stabilize our planet. Now is the time for large-scale carbon removal. Our goal is to draw down two percent of global emissions by 2050 using approximately 13 million acres of land.” Photosynthesis-enhanced trees are just one of the many climate solutions the company is exploring. They have also developed a trait that enables trees to accumulate higher levels of metals in their roots, naturally slowing decay to increase the duration of carbon storage, produce more durable wood products, and clean soils made toxic by industrial activity.
* For More Information, Contact: Leslie Poole, PhD
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