One of the problems faced by the whole world today is climate change. Climate change can not be separated from the activities carried out by humans. The excessive use of motor vehicles, refrigerators, and air conditioners cause lots of greenhouse gases emitted to the atmosphere, which can cause heat retention. The heat retention is what causes climate change on earth.

Extreme temperatures, both hot and cold, recorded in various parts of the world is one of the impacts of climate change. According to a report from the UN, 2019 was the hottest year in the last five years. Not only that it has an impact on the environment, climate change also affects human health. Various types of diseases emerge due to climate change. Not only adults, children can also experience the effects of these changes, even before they were born.

According to an article published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, some experts said that climate change harms children's health. Diseases such as asthma, Lyme, and congenital heart defects are some of the diseases affecting children as a result of climate change. Not only that, but unborn babies can also be affected by climate change. The expert explained that pregnant women affected by climate change could experience stress, respiratory problems, malnutrition, and a high risk of infection. These risks can certainly affect the health of their babies.

The results showed that some health risks increased due to climate change including high mortality and morbidity rate due to heatwaves and fires, high risk of diseases that could be transmitted through food and water, and malnutrition due to food scarcity. Experts believe that if left untreated, the effects of climate change can be even worse in the future. Therefore, experts urge everyone to increase their concern for the environment.

Text by Anggie Triana
Stock photos from Pixabay

Source(s):

• Pacheco, S.E. (2020). Catastrophic effects of climate change on children’s health start before birth. Journal of Clinical Investigation, DOI: 10.1172 / JCI135005.
• Science Daily - Children to bear the burden of negative health effects from climate change (2020). https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/01/200127134736.htm, 28 January 2020.