Impact of Climate Change on Health and Disease in Latin America

Abstract

Climate change is a widely known problem and consequence of multiple interacting phenomena. Nobody can deny it, and several issues are identified as cause and implications of this global problem. Among these causes there is a basic important element, its anthropogenic origin. Many styles and quality of modern life, explained by the use and abuse of contaminating energy sources, including the forms of generating, producing and distributing it. Additionally, demographical changes of the World have intensified this climate change crisis, including the increase in the magnitude of the global population, its utilization of more equipment and electrical devices. Climate change has multiple effects on society, including direct and indirect influences on human health and is one of the spheres that has been recently highlighted by multiple research reports in regard to the importance of climatic change for global public health (Martens et al, 1997). General effects of climate change have been already detected; physical sciences have shown it clearly, the earth is warming up. If the trend of global warming continues, man will face many threats, diseases and deaths related to natural disasters: hurricanes, torrential rains, heat waves and other climate anomalies. In some regions of the world numerous populations will be displaced by the increase of the level of the sea or will be seriously affected by droughts and famines, decrease of suitable lands for the agriculture, increase of the food-borne diseases, water-borne diseases, vector-borne diseases as well as an increase of premature deaths and diseases related to the air pollution (Mills, 2009; PAHO, 2008; United Nations, 2006). Global warming and climate change are products of many physical imbalances but also from biological and social ones in the way of evolution of mankind. Apparent modern quality of life, assumed in the last years and particularly during the last century, as well as population growth and overpopulation in some areas of the World, have lead to modern societies that have significantly increased the consumption of energy and waste production (Mills, 2009; PAHO, 2008; United Nations, 2006; Diaz, 2006