Asia-Pacific Countries See Effects of Climate Change ...

Blue1moon · Asia-Pacific Countries See Effects of Climate Change ...

Asia-Pacific Countries See Effects of Climate Change on Health, Brace for More
By Margie Mason
The Associated Press

Tuesday 03 July 2007

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - Officials from more than a dozen Asian countries met Tuesday in Malaysia to outline health problems their populations are facing in relation to a rise in global temperatures.

Officials discussed ways to work together to limit the fallout in a region expected to be hit hard by flooding, drought, heat waves, mosquito-borne diseases and waterborne illnesses.

The World Health Organization estimates climate change has already directly or indirectly killed more than 1 million people globally since 2000. More than half of those deaths have occurred in the Asia-Pacific area, the world's most populous region. Those figures do not include deaths linked to urban air pollution, which kills about 800,000 worldwide each year, according to WHO.

"We're not going to have a magic bullet to fix climate change in the next 50 years. We need to motivate an awful lot of people to change their behavior in a lot of different ways," said Kristie Ebi, of the WHO's Global Environmental Change unit, a lead author on the health chapter in a report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, a U.N. network of 2,000 scientists.

Ebi said health officials are about a decade behind other sectors, such as water and agriculture, in taking a look at what climate change could mean and how to deal with it. She said countries seeing the effects firsthand are now starting to realize that any problems with air, water or food will directly affect people's health. The poorest countries in Asia and Africa are expected to suffer the most.

Scientists have predicted droughts will lower crop yields and raise malnutrition in some areas, dust storms and wildfires will boost respiratory illnesses, and flooding from severe storms will increase drowning, injury and disease such as diarrhea. Increasing temperatures could also lead to the growth of more harmful algae that can sicken people who eat shellfish and reef fish. People living in low-lying coastal areas will also face more storms, flooding and saltwater intrusion into fresh groundwater that is vital for drinking.

Singapore saw mean annual temperatures increase 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit between 1978 and 1998, while the number of dengue fever cases jumped 10-fold during the same period.

Malaria has recently reached Bhutan and new areas in Papua New Guinea for the first time. In the past, mosquitoes that spread the disease were unable to breed in the cooler climates there, but warmer temperatures have helped vector-borne diseases to flourish.

Melting of glaciers in the Himalayas have created about 20 lakes in Nepal that are in danger of overflowing their banks, which could create a torrent of water and debris capable of wiping out villages and farms below.

The four-day workshop in Malaysia lays the groundwork for a ministerial-level meeting on the topic next month in Bangkok, Thailand.

http://www.truthout.org/issues_06/070307HB.shtml

Blue1moon

I am glad they are acknowledging it, and trying to plan for it - unlike the U.S. where it is downplayed, ignored, denied as much as possible.

obmar

The other day I said that I believe
God the Almighty had all things in
control, which He is.

but I also said
in my conversation that global warming
will cause the ice at the poles to melt, no doubt.
but that is exactly how things will
balance itself. as the ice melts, then the temperature
cools back, and when sea cools the ice will reinstate
itself back.

the second, I hope that is not wishful thinking in my part.

Blue1moon

I hope you are right, obmar and that the balance does not take long to right itself!

obmar

It's hard trying to be positive, nowadays,

but i still try.

Blue1moon

The Inquisitor

You guys are right, but the effects of global warming could very well be another ice age. If the ice from Greenland melts in sufficient quantity, then it will stop the natural flow of warm water towards Iceland and Norway, which in turn will cool down the waters flowing south to Continental Europe.

This will cause colder winters as well as summers, and would make all of Scandinavia uninhabitable. The cooler waters could cause ice to form as far south as Northern Africa.

http://www.commondreams.org/views04/0130-11.htm

Blue1moon

I don't think anyone knows what the results are going to be - but the climate is changing and it is having many effects - affecting different places quite differently -- look at the US - the west is in extreme drought (from what I hear) and the middle of the country is getting deluged with rain, flooding. The Northeast is primarily very cool, but alternating with a few days of extreme heat after a couple weeks of cold - the garden plants are all reacting differently - some okay - some not too happy. Florida is in a drought as well.

"Interesting times" are rarely convenient to live in.

Sometimes it seems so hopeless - somewhere I saw figures on what the US military machine costs us daily in oil - and it seems to make our individual efforts pretty meaningless - but all we can do is try, I suppose... on both those fronts!

The Inquisitor

This is the largest drought in known history in Southern California. Our fire season is projected to be just as bad. I don't know what's causing so many fires on Sumatra, maybe obmar can explain. Often times fires are set on purpose by local farmers, but get out of hand.

The Greenland scenario could very well happen, but it would take decades for all that ice to fall into the North Atlantic, so the effects won't be seen for at least another 50 to 100 years. Most scientists agree that the effects of global warming are very long term and won't be critical effective in our lifetime.

Blue1moon

obmar

This man thinks differently.

Global Warming???

Recent research by Henrik Svensmark and his group at the Danish National Space Center points to the real cause of the recent warming trend. In a series of experiments on the formation of clouds, these scientists have shown that fluctuations in the Sun's output cause the observed changes in the Earth's temperature. In the past, scientists believed the fluctuations in the Sun's output were too small to cause the observed amount of temperature change, hence the need to look for other causes like carbon dioxide. However, these new experiments show that fluctuations in the Sun's output are in fact large enough, so there is no longer a need to resort to carbon dioxide as the cause of the recent warming trend. The discovery of the real cause of the recent increase in the Earth's temperature is indeed a convenient truth. It means humans are not to blame for the increase. It also means there is absolutely nothing we can, much less do, to correct the situation.

From: THOMAS LAPRADE, Ontario, Canada

The Inquisitor

While global warming's origin may be disputed, the hole in the ozone can't be. That is definitely man-made. Also, the effects of global warming are the same regardless of the point of beginning. We may not see the full effects of global warming for a while, but we are already seeing the effects of man-made pollution in many areas of the planet.

Blue1moon

I agree TI
Pollution is harming our air, water, land, animals and of course us humans.

Toxic waste is toxic waste and dangerous, whether it is the cause of global warming, a contributor, or nothing to do with it.

We still need to reduce pollution for our own and our planet's sake
(The trees on NH mountains were mostly dead even ten years ago, from acid rain - a disgrace - but not even the tip of the iceberg.)

obmar

Man had a heavy responsibility here on earth.

Yet many forgot that they were here on an assignment

Blue1moon

Even a dog knows better than to mess his own bed...
why are humans sooo dumb sometimes?
(sigh)

obmar

Yesterday I saw the paper writing about a well known actress
that doesnt like to wash and eats in bed, and at times just tucks the plates under the blanket.

I dont know what she will dream about if she sleeps like that.

The Inquisitor

obmar,

You should read the story about Howard Hughes. He was the richest man on Earth at the time, yet he lived a dychotemy that would baffle anyone.

http://www.thebiographychannel.co...aphy_home/485:0/Howard_Hughes.htm