Climate Change

Environmental Group

By: Alejandra Escareo

Letter of Transmittal
To: US Population
From: Alejandra Escareo
Date: September 7, 2014
Subject: Address the impact of climate
changes in the United States.
The purpose of this memo is to inform the
people residing in the United States about
the impact of current environmental aspects
on the U.S. population, animals and
geographical characteristics. The main focus
will be in how climate affects people health,
but since information about that topic is
limited a broader image will be provided.
Different organization including the
National Health Institute (NHI) has begun
conducting studies to find where the gaps of
the information about this topic. The effects
of climate can affect in many different ways
starting with the main one that is the
increasing temperature, which can lead to
severe adverse events. The adverse events
can be an increase of flooding which can
affect the infrastructure of a place and also
cause emotional and even physical problems
to people. The main contributors for climate
change are the humans, but there are many
alternatives which with the help of everyone
can make the conditions of the earth better.
Climate changes are relevant to everyone in
this earth, but the study will focus the

Alejandra Escareo Analytical Report 2014

problems and solution to the area of the

United States of America.
The four questions that the research will
focus are:
1. What are the recorded climate effects
in the past century?
2. How does the increase of
temperature affect different
population groups in the United
States?
3. What are the policies and regulation
that are implemented to help
decrease the climate change?
4. What are the different solutions that
can help reduce the climate change?
All the people in the United States should
understand that this is a problem that needs
to be fix and not ignored anymore, because
it already started causing many problems. It
is the responsibility of every citizen to be
better informed.
For more information about this memo
please consult the epidemiologist below.
Alejandra E
Alejandra Escareo
UTEP Student

Page 1

Executive Summary
Introduction
Climate change has been an ongoing
problem, but for the past years a more
histrionic changes have been recorded. The
people in the world, including the people
residing in The United States, are not well
informed about the current situation and
ways to prevent it. The effects of climate
can affect in many different ways starting
with the main one that is the increasing
temperature, which is causing and is
predicted to cause greater problems.
Purpose
To educate the people residing in the United
States about the impact that climate change
has and will have in their health, with the
animals and other geographical
characteristics. The people need to be aware
of the different components that cause this
problem, because they might be a great tool
to stop this problem.
Scope
The goal is to inform the U.S residents of
their responsibilities and the consequences
of climate change. For the goal to be
possible, the study will focus on answering
four questions:

What are some of the natural events

that have being recorded due to
climate change?
How does the climate change affect
people or will affect them?
What are the expected outcomes in
the future due to climate change?
What has being implemented to help
reduce climate change?
Alejandra Escareo Analytical Report 2014

Methods
A secondary research study was conducted
to be able to answer the four questions about
the climate change. The searches of
electronic databases and websites were
made to collect the information. The key
words that were used to find the information
were climate change, environmental,
and temperature change, and
environmental changes. Only scholarly
articles published from 2010 through 2014
were admitted to the study. The websites
criteria was that they had to be from a
reliable sources, by that they were required
to finished in .org, .edu or .gov.
Limitations
The information was limited to the articles
that were found for free to the general
people and Google Scholar and to the
articles that the University of Texas at El
Paso has accesses to. The time of the study
was only of two months which resulted in
the limited amount of information that could
be analyzed. The limitations did not affect
significantly the general information that
was found about the topic.
Conclusion and Recommendations
Climate change has several outcomes which
in a way are not beneficial. The main
contributors of this environmental change
are the humans. The outcomes of climate
change have direct consequences of people,
which affect and will affect everyone in the
planet differently. A great overview of some
outcomes have being already recorder and
predicted, but there is still more research
that needs to be conducted. Future
recommendations are more focus on
Page 2

reducing green gas emissions. Different

actions are recommended which included
for the people in their homes, jobs and
school conduct changes that might include
recycling, saving water and electricity and
much more.

Alejandra Escareo Analytical Report 2014

Page 3

Table of Contests

Letter of Transmittal

P. 1

Executive Summary

PP.2-3

Introduction

P.5

Past Events Due to Climate Change

PP.6-7

The Effects of Climate Change

PP.8-9

Expected Outcomes Due to Climate Change

P.10

Actions and Solution

P.11

Conclusion and Recommendations

P.12

References

PP.13-14

Glossary

PP.15-16

Acknowledgements

P.17

Alejandra Escareo Analytical Report 2014

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Introduction
The surface temperature has been recorded
since the year 1850, but starting in the year
1995 through 2006 higher temperatures
started to be documented. This is not the
only climate change that has been recorded
or is expected.1Climate change is something
that has always occurs that could be the
result of natural climate variations or
human-induced climate variations.2 Peoples
actions have elevated different chemicals
such as carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous
oxide. In the 21st century, a high
concentration of carbon dioxide and
methane has been linked to the burning of
fossil fuels and nitrous oxide to agriculture
practices.3 These green gases emissions stay
in the hemisphere which makes climate
forcing that causes either the temperature to
go down or up. Figure #1 represents the
radioactive forcing caused by greenhouse
gases from the years 1979 to 2013.4 The
people in the world, including the people

residing in The United States, are not well

Figure
#1
informed
about the current situation and
ways to prevent it and of all the different
ways which can affect them.

Source: EPA (United States Environmental Protection

Agency). 2014. Climate Change Indicators in the United
States. Accessed: November 2014.
http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/science/indicators/ghg/cl
imate-forcing.html

Bernstein, L., Bosch, P., Canziani, O., Chen, Z.,

Christ, R., Davidson, O., & ... Yohe, G. (2007).
Summary for policymakers, in climate change
2007: Synthesis report.
(Synthesis).Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change.
2
Baede, A., Ahlonsou, E., Ding, Y. &Schimel, D.
(2003). The climate system: An overview.
Retrieved from
http://www.grida.no/publications/other/ipcc_tar
/
3
Bayer, A. M., Danysh, H. E., Garvich, M.,
Gonzlvez, G., Checkley, W., lvarez, M., &
Gilman, R. H. (2014). An unforgettable event: a
qualitative study of the 1997-98 El Nio in
northern Peru. Disasters, 38(2), 351-374.
doi:10.1111/disa.12046
4
EPA (United States Environmental Protection
Agency). (2014). Climate change indicators in the
United States. Retrieved from
http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/science/indic
ators/ghg/index.html

Alejandra Escareo Analytical Report 2014

Page 5

Past Events Due to Climate Change

Introduction
Natural disasters in the past have been
underestimated. Globally, people who are
most vulnerable to the impact of flood
disasters are of low socioeconomic status
and tend to live in rural areas.3 Different
event in history have affected many peoples
lives.
Rainfall
One of the most alarming natural disasters
events that caused more than 16 times the
average rain fall was the Nio that occurred
in Peru between 1997 and 1998. This is a
great example of the damages and situations
that can occur due to climate change. Intense
rainfalls and floods caused many
infrastructure damages and also the increase
of prevalence of infectious diseases, which 5
difference communities in Peru reported.3
Bayer (2014) study found the
following:
The best-studied health outcome of
the ENSO and El Nio is its link to I
nfectious disease outbreaks such as
malaria, dengue fever, cholera and
other diarrheal diseases.3 In Peru,
during the 199798 El Nio episode,
increased cases of malaria, diarrhea
and acute respiratory infections
were reported (Checkley et al., 2000;
Gagnon, Smoyer-Tomic and Bush,
2002; PAHO, 1998) 3
As shown in figure #2, three men and one
woman are trying to cross the Nepena River
Chimbote, Peru.

Figure #2

Source: USA Today. 2006. Climate El Nino to persist

until spring 2007, federal scientists report. Accessed:
November 2014.
http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/weather/climate/200610-06-winter-elnino_x.htm

Alejandra Escareo Analytical Report 2014

Heat Waves
Heat waves (HW) mostly occurred during
the summer around the world; they can have
economically problems and increase the
prevalence of health complications. The HW
causes health related problems such as:
dehydration, heat-stroke, sunburn, breathing
problems, and drowning (people tried to
cool themselves in rivers and other water
sources).5 In North America, it is expected
that there would be more and longer periods
of HW in this century.6In 2003, Europe
experience an HWS period that caused the
5

MetOffice. (2012). European heatwave-August

2003. Retrieved from
http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/education/teens/ca
se-studies/heatwave
6
Lau, N., & Nath, M. J. (2014). Model Simulation
and Projection of European Heat Waves in
Present-Day and Future Climates. Journal Of
Climate, 27(10), 3713-3730. doi:10.1175/JCLI-D-13
00284.1

Page 6

death of more than 22,000 people, with the

elderly being the most affected.7 Other
effects during the HW included problems
with the transportation, energy, water, crops,
and tourism.7 As shown in figure #3, two
elderly women are being treated for
dehydration. This event caused billions of
dollars loss due to the damage of crops and
an increase of health care assistance.7 Other
event of Heat Waves was reported in 2011
in Russia that was concluded that it was
mainly the outcome of internal atmospheric
variability.8

Figure #3

Fire Seasons
Fire seasons are becoming longer compare
to previous years.9 Accumulated fuel,
severe drought, and exceptionally dry
atmospheric conditions all contributed to the
famous Yellowstone fires of 1988.9 Forest
fires in Canada have being linked to climate
change caused by humans.9
Conclusion/Recommendations
In conclusion there are many events in
history that have been the outcomes of
climate change. Some events were about
more than the usual rainfall or intense heat
waves for a long period of time in some
places. Each person should have her house
equipped in case of any traumatic event. A
way to equipped can be to have a plan of
where to go in case of a fire or if something
happens to their houses. Also looking over
the young children and elderly can prevent
many health complications, such as
dehydration during any environmental
event.

Source: History. 2014. Historic Heat Waves Photo

Gallery. Accessed: November 2014.
http://www.history.com/photos/heatwaves/photo1#heat-waves

van Aalst, M. K. (2006). The impacts of climate

change on the risk of natural disasters. Disasters,
30(1), 5-18. doi:10.1111/j.1467-9523.2006.00303.x
8
Dole, R., Hoerling, M., Perlwitz, J., Eischeid, J.,
Pegion, P., Zhang, T., ... & Murray, D. (2011). Was
there a basis for anticipating the 2010 Russian
heat wave?. Geophysical Research Letters, 38(6).

Alejandra Escareo Analytical Report 2014

Luo, L., Tang, Y., Zhong, S., Bian, X., & Heilman,
W. E. (2013). Will Future Climate Favor More
Erratic Wildfires in the Western United States?.
Journal Of Applied Meteorology & Climatology,
52(11), 2410-2417. doi:10.1175/JAMC-D-12-0317.1

Page 7

The Effects of Climate Change

Introduction
Every human is prone to climate change, it
does not matter their location or social
status. They can get affected directly or
indirectly.10 A big problem currently is that
only a small percent of the studies have been
conducted were focused on how the climate
changes affect human health.10 Also most of
the studies have concentrated in the polar
areas were the climate effects have being
more noticeable, limiting the information
available from other areas.11 Based on the
limited studies, there are fewer articles that
focused on how the climate change has
affected smaller groups such as indigenous
groups.11 Also, the climate changes are
always interpreted different by different
kinds of groups.11
Waste Products
A big factor that is generally blamed for
peoples health risk is all the waste products.
McMichael (2006) study found the
following:
The advent of changes in global
climate signals that we are now
living beyond Earths capacity to
absorb a major waste product:
anthropogenic greenhouse gases. The
10

Jessup, C. M., Balbus, J. M., Christian, C.,

Haque, E., Howe, S. E., Newton, S. A., & ...
Rosenthal, J. P. (2013). Climate Change, Human
Health, and Biomedical Research: Analysis of the
National Institutes of Health Research Portfolio.
Environmental Health Perspectives, 121(4), 399404. doi:10.1289/ehp.1104518
11
Offen, K. (2014). Historical geography III:
Climate matters. Progress in Human Geography,
38(3), 476-489. doi:10.1177/0309132513501429

Alejandra Escareo Analytical Report 2014

resultant risks to health (and other

environmental and societal
outcomes) are anticipated to
compound over time as climate
changealong with other large scale
environmental and
social
12
changescontinues.
As shown in figure #4, there are many areas
in that body that can get damage with just
electronic waste products that people throw
away daily and that it are exported to poor
areas of the world.
Statistics/Outcomes
It is estimated that in 20 years, the climatechange induced health risk will double.13
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change (IPCC), an international
organization created by the United Nations
Environment Programme (UNEP) and the
World Meteorological Organization
(WMO), forecasted different changes
around the world due to the climate change.1
In North America the IPCC mentioned that
the places that are currently experiencing
heat waves will continue having more,
which might cause health problems in the
future as dehydration.1 Also the climate
change is leading to the increase of the sea
which can leave in the future millions of
people homeless.14 A problem might lead to
12

McMichael, A. J., Woodruff, R. E., & Hales, S.

(2006). Climate change and human health:
present and future risks. Lancet, 367(9513), 859869. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(06)68079-3
13
Patz, J. A., Campbell-Lendrum, D., Holloway,
T., & Foley, J. A. (2005). Impact of Regional
Climate Change on Human Health. Nature,
438(7066), 310-317..
14
Climate Change. (2014). The Nature
Conservancy. Retrieved from:

Page 8

another one, for example, a lot of rain can

cause people to become homeless, which
can lead to people having food shortage that
will cause malnutrition.15

Figure #4

Jessup (2013) study found the

following:
The report titled A Human Health
Perspective on Climate Change: A
Report Outlining the Research Needs
of the Human Health Effects of
Climate Change, by the ad hoc
Interagency Working Group on
Climate Change and Health, outlines
research needs for climate change
and human health (Portier et
al.2010). The report, organized
around 11 categories of health
outcomes, describes the linkages
between climate change and
disease-specific federal health
research priorities.10

Source: Sillicon Toxics Coalition. 2014.E-Waste. Accessed:

November 2014. http://svtc.org/our-work/e-waste/

Conclusion/Recommendations
There is still a lot more research that needs
to be conducted to understand all the
different effects that climate change has one
the people, animals and the environment.
Every single person is exposed to an
outcome of an environmental variation. A
new solution of how to recycle or limit the
amount of waste products needs to be
implemented. As a citizen, a person can buy
rechargeable batteries and also recycle all
the materials they can.

http://www.nature.org/ourinitiatives/urgentissue
s/global-warming-climate-change/threatsimpacts/index.htm
15
Nigatu, A. S., Asamoah, B. O., & Kloos, H.
(2014). Knowledge and perceptions about the
health impact of climate change among health
sciences students in Ethiopia: a cross-sectional
study. BMC Public Health, 14(1), 432-450.
doi:10.1186/1471-2458-14-587

Alejandra Escareo Analytical Report 2014

Page 9

Expected Outcomes Due to Climate Change

containment of a fire, which may result in
catastrophic damage and property loss.9

Introduction
The climate fluctuations are having different
consequences in different ecosystems. The
changes include an increase of temperature
that leads to changes in the landscapes, the
increase of sea level, the increase of
droughts, the increase of frequency of fires
and the increase of infectious diseases.14,1
Increase of Temperatures
A great example of the ecosystem
differences is that it is expected that polar
areas will warm faster than tropical areas.7
By the end of the 21st century and increased
of 1.4 5.8 Celsius Fahrenheit is predicted.13
In the 2040s it is expected that all the
summers after are going to consist of heat
waves as the summer of 2013 in Europe.7
The heat waves can be predicted with three
days in advance which can provide the place
to prepare for it.7
Sea Level
In 100 years it is expected that the sea level
will rise more than 4 inches 36 inches due
to the thermal expansions, melting glaciers
and ice caps and polar sheets.14,1
Figure #5 shows the flood of 2008 that
happened in Venice, Italy.
Infectious Diseases
The Nature Conservancy (2014) website
reports that also the increase of the sea level
will cause more storms. As the temperatures
increase around the world, insects and
diseases are more capable to survive longer
and in more place.14 Also, the increase of
temperature can increase dryness that can
cause erratic and extreme fire behavior,
thus increasing the risk of losing

Conclusion /Recommendations
The expected outcomes due to climate
change are mostly negative. The increase of
the ocean is expected to keep increasing
correlated with the increase of temperature.
Recommendations include getting
vaccinated and wear insect repellent to
prevent infectious diseases.

Figure #5

Source National Geographic. Sea Level Rise. Accessed:

November 2014.
http://ocean.nationalgeographic.com/ocean/critical-issuessea-level-rise/

Alejandra Escareo Analytical Report 2014

Page 10

Actions and Solutions

Introduction
There are many options to helped reduced
climate change, but the options have
barriers, limits and also can be costly.1The
climate has had many health effects and
other environmental effects.
Actions and Policies
The actions and policies that are being
implemented about the climate should be
available for everyone.16 It is the
responsibility of the people to start acting
and for the people with more power to start
educating the citizens about the problems of
climate change.16 In the study they also
mentioned that if people do not get educated
about the causes and results of the climate
change is like violating the human rights of
life of the people.16 A great solution will be
by implementing bioethics. Bioethics will
help people understand the serious problem
with the climate change
Macpherson (2013) study found the
following:
Bioethical analyses are integral to
effective responses because ethics,
values, societal conditions, and
potential conflicts of interest
determine what risk assessments are
conducted, how they are interpreted,
and how their findings are
communicated and responded to.
These changes have already caused
cardiovascular and respiratory
deaths; facilitated the transmission of
water borne and vector borne disease
through impacts on pathogen

reproduction, vector density, and

other means; and worsened acute and
chronic conditions including mental
illness.(p.306)
Through history adaptations has
helped people survived, but extreme events
due to climate change might not be as
beneficial as before that is why a solution is
necessary.12 A tool that is being use to
educate the college students about the
climate change is the electronic media. The
majority of the college students know about
the effects of the climate change, but they
dont feel they know enough.15
Figure #6

Source Photo taken by Alejandra Escareo

Conclusion /Recommendations
It is everyone responsibility to stop the
climate variations that result of humans
actions Educating everyone about this big
problem will provide more awareness and
might lead to more preventions.

16

Macpherson, C. (2013). Climate Change is a

Bioethics Problem. Bioethics, 27(6), 305-308.
doi:10.1111/bioe.12029

Alejandra Escareo Analytical Report 2014

Page 11

Conclusion and Recommendations

Conclusion/Recommendations
Climate change has several outcomes which
in a way are not beneficial. The main
contributors of this environmental change
are the humans. The outcomes of climate
change have direct consequences of people,
which affect and will affect everyone in the
planet differently. A great overview of some
outcomes have being already recorder and
predicted, but there is still more research
that needs to be conducted. Future
recommendations are more focus on
reducing green gas emissions. Different
actions are recommended which included
for the people in their homes, jobs and
school conduct changes that might include
recycling, saving water and electricity and
much more. By increasing awareness of this
problem can bring more solutions. Still more
research needs to be conducted in order to
understands.

Limitations
The information was limited to the articles
that were found for free to the general
people and Google Scholar and to the
articles that the University of Texas at El
Paso has accesses to. The time of the study
was only of two months which resulted in
the limited amount of information that could
be analyzed. The limitations did not affect
significantly the general information that
was found about the topic.

Alejandra Escareo Analytical Report 2014

Page 12

References
Baede, A., Ahlonsou, E., Ding, Y.
&Schimel, D. (2003). The climate
system: An overview. Retrieved from
http://www.grida.no/publications/other/
ipcc_tar/
Bayer, A. M., Danysh, H. E., Garvich, M.,
Gonzlvez, G., Checkley, W.,
lvarez, M., & Gilman, R. H.
(2014). An unforgettable event: a
qualitative study of the 1997-98 El
Nio in northern Peru. Disasters,
38(2), 351-374.
doi:10.1111/disa.12046
Bernstein, L., Bosch, P., Canziani, O., Chen,
Z., Christ, R., Davidson, O., & ...
Yohe, G. (2007). Summary for
policymakers, in climate change
2007: Synthesis report.
(Synthesis).Intergovernmental Panel
on Climate Change.
Climate Change. (2014). The Nature
Conservancy. Retrieved from:
http://www.nature.org/ourinitiatives/urg
entissues/global-warming-climatechange/threats-impacts/index.htm

Dole, R., Hoerling, M., Perlwitz, J.,

Eischeid, J., Pegion, P., Zhang, T., ...
& Murray, D. (2011). Was there a
basis for anticipating the 2010
Russian heat wave?. Geophysical
Research Letters, 38(6).
EPA (United States Environmental
Protection Agency). (2014). Climate
change indicators in the United States.
Retrieved from
http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/scie
nce/indicators/ghg/index.html
Jessup, C. M., Balbus, J. M., Christian, C.,
Haque, E., Howe, S. E., Newton, S.
Alejandra Escareo Analytical Report 2014

A.,&.Rosenthal, J. P. (2013).
Climate Change, Human Health, and
Biomedical Research: Analysis of
the National Institutes of Health
Research Portfolio. Environmental
Health Perspectives, 121(4), 399404. doi:10.1289/ehp.1104518
IPCC.(N.A)Organization. Retrieved from
http://www.ipcc.ch/organization/orga
nization.shtml
Lau, N., & Nath, M. J. (2014). Model
Simulation and Projection of
European Heat Waves in PresentDay and Future Climates. Journal Of
Climate, 27(10), 3713-3730.
doi:10.1175/JCLI-D-13-00284.1
Luo, L., Tang, Y., Zhong, S., Bian, X., &
Heilman, W. E. (2013). Will Future
Climate Favor More Erratic
Wildfires in the Western United
States?. Journal Of Applied
Meteorology & Climatology, 52(11),
2410-2417. doi:10.1175/JAMC-D12-0317.1
Patz, J. A., Campbell-Lendrum, D.,
Holloway, T., & Foley, J. A. (2005).
Impact of Regional Climate Change
on Human Health. Nature,
438(7066), 310-317..
Macpherson, C. (2013). Climate Change is a
Bioethics Problem. Bioethics, 27(6),
305-308. doi:10.1111/bioe.12029
McMichael, A. J., Woodruff, R. E., & Hales,
S. (2006). Climate change and
human health: present and future
risks. Lancet, 367(9513), 859-869.
doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(06)68079-3
MetOffice. (2012). European heatwaveAugust 2003. Retrieved from
http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/educati
on/teens/case-studies/heatwave
Nigatu, A. S., Asamoah, B. O., & Kloos, H.
(2014). Knowledge and perceptions
Page 13

about the health impact of climate

change among health sciences
students in Ethiopia: a crosssectional study. BMC Public Health,
14(1), 432-450. doi:10.1186/14712458-14-587
Offen, K. (2014). Historical geography III:
Climate matters. Progress in Human
Geography, 38(3), 476-489.
doi:10.1177/0309132513501429
van Aalst, M. K. (2006). The impacts of
climate change on the risk of natural
disasters. Disasters, 30(1), 5-18.
doi:10.1111/j.14679523.2006.00303.x

Alejandra Escareo Analytical Report 2014

Page 14

Glossary
A
B
Bioethics: a field of study concerned with
the ethics and philosophical implications of
certain biological and medical procedures,
technologies, and treatments, as organ
transplants, genetic engineering, and care of
the terminally ill.
C
Culture: the beliefs, customs, arts, etc., of a
particular society, group, place, or time.
D
Databases: a comprehensive collection of
related data organized for convenient access,
generally in a computer.
E
Ecology: a science that deals with the
relationships between groups of living
things and their environments.
El Nio: a flow of unusually warm water
along the western coast of South America
that causes many changes in weather in
other places (such as a lot of rain in areas
that are usually dry).
F
Fossil Fuels: any combustible organic
material, as oil, coal, or natural gas, derived
from the remains of former life.
Alejandra Escareo Analytical Report 2014

G
Global warming: An increase in the
average temperature of the atmosphere that
causes changes in the climate.
Greenhouse gas: Gas that absorbs infrared
radiation emitted from Earth and warms the
atmosphere.
H
Haines Index- It a tool designed to assess
the potential for wildfire growth by
measuring the stability and dryness of the air
over a fire
Heat wave: a period of unusually hot
weather.
I
J
K
L
M
Morbidity: the relative incidence of disease.
Mortality: the number of deaths that occur
in a particular time or place.

Page 15

N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
Thermal Expansion: the tendency of matter
to change in volume in response to a change
in temperature, through heat transfer.U
V
W
X
Y
Z
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Page 16

Acknowledgements
The author wish to thank Brittney Mosher,
Casandra Wagoner, Gerardo Quintero,
Karen Obregon, and Michelle Calero for all
their help with this project.

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