Climate change causes health concerns

A report by the University College London and British publication The Lancet warned: "Climate change is the biggest global health threat of the 21st century".

As temperatures rise, more instances of extreme weather including droughts and floods are expected. Doctors and scientists predict this will promote the spread of disease, famine, and fighting.

Among concerns voiced in the report, was the spread of diseases such as malaria to a wider range of location, not only tropical destinations where outbreaks are common today.

The terms “global warming” and “climate change” are often used interchangeably. They refer to a gradual shift in weather patterns over time related to temperature, precipitation, humidity, cloud conditions, and wind.

Climate change is not measured in years, but often decades, centuries, or longer. A snowy winter one year followed by one that is dry and mild is not due to climate change. These are seasonal fluctuations, and expected by meteorologists. When small fluctuations over a long period of time continue and add up to a significant change to “typical” weather, climate change may be the culprit.

Human use of fossil fuels is credited as the primary cause of climate change. Green house gasses, like carbon dioxide, are released through fossil fuel combustion . Driving a gasoline powered car, for example, adds greenhouse gases to the atmosphere. Greenhouse gasses trap heat and cause air temperatures to rise.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), climate models predict a 2 to 11 degree Fahrenheit increase in the average global temperature within the next 100 years. Since the Industrial Revolution in the late 1800’s, the average global temperature has risen approximately 1.3 degrees.

The U.N. Convention on Climate Change will meet in Copenhagen, Denmark from December 7-18, 2009. There, the international community and world leaders will discuss policies regarding climate change and methods of reduce green house gas emissions.

For more information about global warming and green house gases, visit the NOAA’s National Climatic Data Center website .