Running Head: THE IMPACTS OF GLOBAL WARMING !

The Impacts of Global Warming: A Review of Literature

Anaiz Ramirez
The University of Texas at El Paso
Rhetoric and Writing Studies 1302
Dr. Biswas Moushumi
Running Head: THE IMPACTS OF GLOBAL WARMING !2

Abstract

Today, Global Warming is a worldwide issue that affects our planet and our health.

Global Warming is the heating of our planet Earth, causing the drastic change in our climate and

the greenhouse effect. Climate change and the greenhouse effect are two major factors affecting

the environment and health of all living things. There was previously an ongoing debate on the

cause of Global Warming, but not until recently has it been proven that people and the burning of

carbon dioxide are part of the reason behind Global Warming. Most people are aware of the

concept of Global Warming, however they are not aware of how it affects their health. The

purpose of this literature review is to inform and to become more aware of the causes and

impacts of Global Warming and climate change. Through a conducted survey the results will

show the thoughts on the issue of Global Warming.

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Introduction

Global Warming is a controversial issue that causes the planet earth to heat up. The

increase in temperature is known as climate change, which impacts the health of the human race

and their environments. Part of what causes climate change is the greenhouse effect, which is the

emittance of greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide and methane, that trap heat into the

planet, similar to a greenhouse. Instead of the heat being reflected back into the solar system, it

stays trapped inside the atmosphere because of the depletion of ozone from the greenhouse

gases. Since the beginning of the industrial revolution, people have been burning fossil fuels and

increasing the output of carbon dioxide, the leading greenhouse gas, which destroys the ozone in

the atmosphere. The increase in the the production of this gas has been a factor in the sudden and

drastic change of Earths climate. This sudden change is the reason behind some natural disasters

and disease. Such disasters include hurricanes and flooding, while some of the diseases include

malaria and west nile.

Global Warming and climate change have impacted our health by vector borne disease,

natural disasters, and rise in temperature. However, it is still unsure on what causes Global

Warming. The Earth has been naturally increasing in the average temperature, and the meltdown

of the ice age is a perfect example to prove this theory. The debate of the cause has been

ongoing, but the effects are just as alarming and should be taken into consideration through the

review of the following questions:

1. Is GlobalWarming caused by human activity or by natural processes?

2. How does Global Warming affect human health?

3. How aware is the average person of the effects of Global Warming?

Running Head: THE IMPACTS OF GLOBAL WARMING !4

4. What can we do to prevent Global Warming?

These questions will further review the purpose of this literature review by providing the cause

and effects of Global Warming, as well as forms of prevention.

Is Global Warming caused by human activity or natural processes?

There is currently an ongoing controversial issue on the cause of Global Warming. Some

scientists claim it caused by natural processes, while others claim it is caused by human activity.

Since the ice age, ice has been melting for centuries, but in modern times we also contribute to

the heating of our planet Earth with pollution and the emittance of greenhouse gases. There is no

doubt that the average temperature of our planet has increased over time, but the increasing rate

of the average temperature of Earth, that has recently been documented over the last few years is

very alarming. According to Michael Lemonick, David Bjerkilie, Robert Boyle, Andrea

Dorfman, and Dick Thompson, A decade ago, the idea that the planet was warming up as a

result of human activity was largely theoreticalNot anymore. As an authoritative report issued

a few weeks ago by the U.N.-sponsored Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change makes

plain, the trend toward a warmer world has unquestionably begun. (Lemonick, Bjerkilie, Boyle,

Dorfman, Thompson, 2001.) The unnatural rise in temperature is affecting our planet and is

partially caused by human activity. Scientists no longer doubt that global warming is happening,

and almost nobody questions the fact that humans are at least partly responsible. (Lemonick,

Bjerkilie, Boyle, Dorfman, Thompson, 2001.) According to Michael Lemonick, David Bjerkilie,

Robert Boyle, Andrea Dorfman, and Dick Thompson, humans have already increased the
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concentration of carbon dioxide up to 30% above pre-industrial-levels, and each year the rate

increases.(Lemonick, Bjerkilie, Boyle, Dorfman, Thompson, 2001.) The increase of this rate will

only lead to hotter temperatures and significantly larger and disastrous impacts. Lemonick,

Bjerkilie, Boyle, Dorfman, and Thompson also state that, By 2100, says the IPCC, average

temperatures will increase between 2.5F and 10.4F--more than 50% higher than predictions of

just a half-decade ago. (Lemonick, Bjerkilie, Boyle, Dorfman, Thompson, 2001.) This proves

that such drastic changes could not have been solely caused by natural processes, but human

activity is partially responsible for the cause and effects of Global Warming and climate change.

How does Global Warming affect human health?

Global Warming affects human health directly and indirectly. The effects of global

warming include vector borne diseases such as malaria, and natural disasters such as hurricanes.

Another effect on human health from global warming is an increase in pulmonary syndromes,

such as asthma. According to Alan McGregor, from the Lancet Issue, states that, Most emerging

diseases are caused by changes in "microbial traffic". Examples include dengue hantavirus

pulmonary syndrome, and some hemorrhagic fevers. (McGregor, 1996.) Asthma is one of the

leading pulmonary diseases and the amount of cases has recently increased due to climate change

and Global Warming. According to a video clip by HelathyDevs, other diseases such as malaria

and west nile are vectors borne diseases that have also recently increased in the amount of cases

found due to the increase in temperature. Another example by HealthyDevs from the effects of

Global Warming includes flooding. Imagine a small village that has been flooded and because of
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climate change the flooding waters have contaminated the drinking water, causing everyone in

the village to become ill. They cannot consume the nutrients needed to restore their health

because the contaminated water has also stopped the growth of the main food source, the plants.

(HealthyDevs, 2015.)

Another way to see how the climate change has effected our health is to look at the

relationship between mortality rates and temperature change. According to Yasushi Honda,
Shift of the short-term tem peratu rem ortality relationship by a climate factor 217

Masaji Ono, Akihiko Sasaki, and Iwao Uchiyama, from

A notherJournal
limitation of Risk
of the Research,
present there
analysis on the have
temperature-mortality relationship
is that the two extreme temperature categor ies (, 8 C and 33+ C) are open-ended. In
other words, the average of the daily maximu m temperatures in these categor ies varied
been several studies that show the from year to year. It is possible that shifting the V-shaped cu rve may improve the preci-
Figure 1.
sion in estimating the effect of global warming.

relationship between outdoor temperature and

mortality rates are V-shaped.(Honda, Ono,

Sasaki, and Uchiyama, 1998.) As shown in

Figure 1, you can see the obvious V-shape

created, and how the mortality rate increases

as the temperature increases. The horizontal

shift in the chart is the average increase of the

daily temperature, while the y-axis shows the

mortality rate in men and women over 65

years of age, and the climate index indicates

the long-term climate tendency recorded.

(Honda, Ono, Sasaki, and Uchiyama, 1998.)

Fig. 4. H ypot hetical example of horizontal shift model V-shape moves horizontally according
to the climate index.
Figure 1 shows the relationship between mortality rates and
temperature. The research was conducted in 1998 by Honda, Ono,
Sasaki, and Uchiyama
Running Head: THE IMPACTS OF GLOBAL WARMING !7

How aware is the average person of the effects of Global Warming?

Global Warming is a known worldwide issue that the average person is mostly aware of,

they are however unaware of the effects. Based on a survey conducted by Anaiz Ramirez, it was

found that 100% of the people asked had known of the issue of global warming and climate

change. When asked the effects of climate change, only 55% of them were able to give a

response that regarded their health. This was based on a survey answered by 20 people whose

ages range from sixteen to fifty-seven. Most people are aware of the issue, but dont understand

or choose to ignore how it affects them and their health. What was also concluded from the

survey was that the group of people who were aware of the effects on their health were the

people whose age ranged from sixteen to forty-two.

According to Melinda Villagran, Melinda Weathers, Brian Keefe, and Lisa Sparks, from

communication education, Health Literacy is the degree to which individuals have the capacity

to obtain, process and understand basic health information and services needed to make

appropriate health decisions that may affect the health of Americans and the ability of the

healthcare system to provide effective, high quality care.(Villagran, Weathers, Keefe, Sparks,

2010.) They also stated that communication that educates patients is guided by there need for

health information, as well as their ability to use these messages in decision making. (Villagran,

Weathers, Keefe, and Sparks, 2010.) Based on the survey, it can be seen that in order for the

participants to be aware of the effects on their health it would be beneficial to become more

health literate.

For someone to become more aware of the effects on their health, the most reasonable

person to communicate with would be a health care provider. According to Villagran, Weathers,
Running Head: THE IMPACTS OF GLOBAL WARMING !8

Keefe, and Sparks, their findings have shown that a health care provider is an expert source of

health information, and therefore highlight the excellent opportunity providers have to both

educate and motivate patients on Global Warming and climate change issues.(Villagran,

Weathers, Keefe, and Sparks, 2010.) Reaching out to a health care provider according to their

findings is one of the most influential ways to improve the knowledge of climate change, even

though not all cases will lead to action from the patient. The results did show however, that the

knowledge is positively associated with efficiency. Therefore it is important for health care

providers to educate their patients on Global Warming and climate change.

What can we do to prevent Global Warming?

As mentioned before Global Warming is a very serious issue that effects our heath and

environment. These direct and indirect effects of Global Warming have caused worldwide

problems that need solutions. Such solutions include technological advances and the Kyoto

Protocol Agreement. According to the Research Institute for Innovative Technologies for the

Earth (RITE) there are five major projects, three ongoing and two under evaluation, that can be

used to significantly reduce carbon dioxide emissions.(RITE, 2001.) One of the ways RITE plans

on reducing carbon dioxide emissions is by a project called the Desert Plantation Projects. The

purpose of this project is to plant vegetation on a large scale in desert areas to cope with well

known problems of greening. The projects targets using genetic engineering to develop new

plants that can withstand dry conditions and strong sunlight. This project focusses on improving

the ability of enzymes to take in carbon dioxide through photosynthesis, develop chloroplast

transformation technology, and to enhance active oxygen elimination systems.(RITE) The Kyoto
Running Head: THE IMPACTS OF GLOBAL WARMING !9

Protocol Agreement is an international treaty, by the United Nations organization, that commits

these nations to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide that is released into the atmosphere.

Although theses are examples of prevention of Global Warming on a national level, their are also

many ways for any persons to partake in the solution.

Another form of prevention for Global Warming is to reduce your carbon footprint. A

carbon footprint is the amount of carbon dioxide a single person or household burns. Examples

include the use of electricity, cooking red with burns coal or gas, and the average amount of time

spent driving. According to David Schwartz some ways to reduce your carbon footprint and save

money is by, reducing water costs, power usage, and decreasing maintenance costs.(Schwartz,

2016.) By reducing these few things a single person or family could save money, while also

reducing their carbon footprint.

Conclusion

In conclusion, this review has answered several questions by further analyzing a

significant amount of data. Global Warming is a very serious matter that most people dont

understand how it impacts them directly. It was found that Global Warming and climate change

is partially caused by human activity, and does effect the health of all living thimgs. Now that

there are technological advances, we can reduce the amount of carbon dioxide emitted, helping

to prevent or reduce Global Warming. There is no longer a need for a debate on the issue, as it

can be seen that Global Warming is happening, it is effecting people and their health, and there

are forms of prevention to resolve the issue.

Running Head: THE IMPACTS OF GLOBAL WARMING !10

References

HealthyDevs. (2015, December 16). Climate Change Adaptation and Health: It is time to act.
Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6JgE0aTEFpQ

Honda, Y., Ono, M., Sasaki, A., & Uchiyama, I. (1998). Shift of the short-term temperature
mortality relationship by a climate factor - some evidence necessary to take account of in
estimating the health effect of global warming. Journal Of Risk Research

Lemonick, M. D., Bjerklie, D., Boyle, R. H., Dorfman, A., & Thompson, D. (2001). LIFE IN
THE GREENHOUSE. (Cover story). Time, 157(14), 24.

McGregor, A. (1996). Reports stoke up evidence for health effects of global warming. Lancet,
348(9021), 188.

Research Institute for Innovative Technologies for the Earth (RITE). TECHNOLOGIES TO
PREVENT GLOBAL WARMING. (2001). Japanese High Energy Efficiency & Clean
Energy Technologies, 1(5), 3.

Schwartz, D. (2016). REDUCE YOUR CARBON FOOTPRINT. (cover story). Journal Of

Property Management, 81(2), 10-13.

Villagran, M., Weathers, M., Keefe, B., & Sparks, L. (2010). Medical Providers as Global
Warming and Climate Change Health Educators: A Health Literacy Approach.
Communication Education