Health Effects of Climate Change

Climate change affects Earth’s ecosystems and human societies. Climate change results in hotter temperatures and more heatwaves, droughts and water shortages, floods and water-borne infections, sea level rise and population displacement, reduced agricultural and seafood harvests, spreading of organisms that carry disease, and increased numbers of wildfires creating additional air pollution. More people will probably be affected by hunger, lack of clean water, heatstroke, heat-related kidney disease, asthma, and infections like dengue, zika, cholera, salmonella, and listeria. Because each year is hotter than the ones before, younger people will experience changes in weather and climate throughout their lives. Paying attention to and learning about climate science can help you prepare for a different world. Because human activities cause global heating, humans can halt it. People can restore Earth’s forests, oceans, plants, and animals while making their own lives better by substituting clean energy for fossil fuels.