Global Environmental Change and Human Healtg

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GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE AND HEALTH Introduction Human actions and nature are changing many of the world’s natural environmental systems including the climate system. These systems are important to life processes and fundamental to human health, and their disruption and depletion make it more difficult to tackle health related issues. Indeed, we will not achieve the UN millennium development health goals if environmental destruction continues. Large scale and global environmental hazards to human health include climate change, stratospheric ozone depletion, changes in ecosystems due to loss of biodiversity, changes in hydrological systems and the supplies of fresh water, land degradation, air pollution and overpopulation leading to slums. Definition of Key Terms * Environment: The environment refers to the natural features of a place, for instance its weather, the type of land it has, and the type of plants that grow in it. It is also the air, water, and land on earth, which can be harmed by man’s activities (Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English) * Environmental change: Environmental change is also defined as a change or disturbance of the environment caused by human influences or natural ecological processes. (Wikipedia 2014) * Health: Health is defined as the complete physical, mental and social well-being of an individual and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. (WHO) * Disease: A disease is a particular abnormal, pathological condition that affects part or all of an organism. * Climate change: climate change is a long term change in the statistical distribution of weather patterns over periods of time that range from decades to millions of years. Causes of Global Environmental Change * The role of human activity * Natural causes Effects of Global Environmental Change on Health * Depletion of the ozone layer: The

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