Human Health Pays the Price

From art exhibit "Coal Couture" by Baaraan Ijlal

Climate change impacts the human experience negatively on a daily basis without deviation; throughout COP 24 it has been made apparent that there truly are no boundaries to what climate change threatens.

It is well known that climate change increases drought, air pollution, natural disasters, and displacement. What is rarely brought up in conversation are the repercussions that these changes have on human health. By piecing together information from multiple panels, reports and speakers, I believe that, although the impacts of climate change on human health are essentially unlimited, the most pressing issues stem from poor air quality and  unbearable extreme heat.

One of the most significant consequences of climate change on human health is the sheer amount of chemicals that are released into the air that we breathe due to the burning of fossil fuels. The poor air quality results in roughly 9 million premature deaths worldwide annually. Not only that, but in areas near coal mines, where emissions are most intense, children are far more susceptible to disease that would otherwise be avoided. An example of this is that in Poland, where fossil fuels have been mined and used for years, a child will inhale the equivalent of 1,000 cigarettes within their first year due to the air pollution being so intense. This is the case worldwide, and artist Baaraan Ijlal uses items from impacted children in her art, forcing those who see it to understand how real the consequences of fossil fuel emissions are. Not only does the poor air quality worldwide cause respiratory disease, but it also has been proven to impact the overall quality of life.

 Even though at this point everyone is well aware that temperatures are rising around the globe, it is not often considered how extreme heat harms the people who live in already sweltering climates. During a presentation by Al Gore, he mentioned that Kuwait hit a high temperature this year of 124 degrees F. This caused the concrete to melt and birds started dropping dead out of the sky. Not only that, but in Pakistan at the beginning of each summer, the people dig anticipatory mass graves due to the expected deaths from heat. This year, 65 people died from these heat related causes in Pakistan, and those who are the most vulnerable to this fate are infants, the elderly, the poor/homeless and those who are already ill. This also induces migration, as these areas become literally uninhabitable due to the climate.

Al Gore stated in one of his speeches at COP 24, "How did we get into a situation where we're willing to tolerate these grievous and deadly insults to the health of hundreds of millions on a regular basis?", and honestly, he has a good point. It is unfathomable to me that we as humans allow the burning of fossil fuels to not only impact the planet, but those who inhabit it. Although we have gone too far already, I believe that it isn't too late to change the outcomes and switch to green energy. By slowing and eventually stopping climate change, lives will be saved.