Understanding Climate Change: Causes & Impacts

• The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) are key UN offices addressing climate change.
• Climate change is altering Earth's climate patterns long-term, affecting temperature, precipitation, and other weather phenomena.
• Experts believe the climate is changing due to human activities, causing global warming impacting life on Earth.

Main Causes of Climate Change

• Emission of greenhouse gases (GHG) from burning fossil fuels like coal, oil, and gas, releasing carbon dioxide (CO2).
• Deforestation reduces the planet's capacity to absorb CO2.
• Industrial, agricultural activities, and excessive fertilizer use release methane and nitrogen oxides, contributing to global warming.
• The IPCC indicates the Earth is rapidly warming, leading to more intense heat waves.
• Glaciers are melting, sea levels are rising, threatening coastal cities and ecosystems.
• There is an increased frequency of extreme weather events like hurricanes, droughts, and forest fires, leading to biodiversity loss.

Impact on Human Health

• Extreme heat causes dehydration and air pollution, increasing respiratory diseases and asthma.
• Heat and humidity favor the spread of diseases like Dengue, Zika, and Chikungunya.
• Droughts, extreme heat, and floods impact crop production and food access, leading to hunger and malnutrition.
• Climate change significantly impacts global society, affecting various aspects of human life and the environment.
• Public health will suffer from increased illnesses and mortality, especially among children, women, and the elderly, particularly those in poverty.

Impact of Extreme Weather

• Increased temperatures and extreme weather events, like heat waves, raise the risk of cardiovascular and respiratory diseases and associated mortality.
• There will be an increase in vector-borne diseases like dengue, malaria, and Zika.
• Epidemics, pandemics, natural disasters, and water scarcity overwhelm hospitals and clinics.
• Floods and storms can destroy medical facilities, cutting off communities from healthcare.
• Extreme weather events significantly threaten public health.
• The WHO states climate change directly contributes to humanitarian emergencies from heat waves, forest fires, floods, tropical storms, and hurricanes, increasing in magnitude, frequency, and intensity.
• WHO research shows 3.6 billion people already live in areas highly vulnerable to climate change.
• Between 2030 and 2050, climate change could cause 250,000 additional deaths per year from malnutrition, malaria, diarrhea, and heat stress.
• The WHO estimates direct health damage costs between US$2-4 billion per year by 2030.
• Areas with poor sanitation infrastructure—mostly in developing countries—are less able to prepare for and respond to hurricanes, floods, droughts, heat waves, and other events.
• Natural disasters can cause a sudden surge in patients with injuries, illnesses, and aggravated conditions, overwhelming hospitals and clinics.
• Floods and storms can destroy medical facilities, cutting off communities from healthcare and hindering the delivery of essential medicines and equipment.

Explore the causes and impacts of climate change, including greenhouse gas emissions, deforestation, and industrial activities. Learn about the role of the UNFCCC and IPCC in addressing climate change. Understand the consequences, such as rising temperatures, melting glaciers, and extreme weather events.