Global warming is caused by the buildup of greenhouse gases (i.e. Carbon Dioxide, Nitrous Oxide, Methane, and Halocarbons) which are gradually making the planet hotter as more and more heat is retained which cannot be reverted easily. Global warming is also happening because of the continuous burning of fossil fuels and the reduction of carbon dioxide sinks (i.e. forests).
The current level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is 384 parts per million.
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D
How Global Warming Affects Health in Australia
Changes in global climate have become increasingly severe as well as frequent and are affecting the health of Australian citizens in various ways (ANU TV2015). One of the most significant is the effect they have had on Australian agriculture which has resulted in serious amounts of psychological stress as well as financial stress due to the state’s denial that global warming is even happening (ANU TV 2015). As the increased heat and droughts caused by global warming are producing withered crops that cannot be sold, the flow of money in Australia is coming to a halt as they rely heavily on the production of farms (ANU TV 2015).
This decrease in food production has led to a redirection of resources and a “lowered resilience” to disease as the state is finding it harder and harder to give the citizens of Australia health care (ANU TV 2015). As a result many Australians are falling ill and without the necessary sources they need for medicine, many of them are dying at alarming rates (ANU TV 2015). Not only have more and more people become susceptible to disease but the rate of Australian men taking their lives has also increased as production and amount of water continue to go down due to the abnormal amount of droughts (ANU TV 2015). Thus it is more than clear that climate change is occurring and that something must be done about it by both the state and its people (ANU TV 2015). Though there are some who acknowledge the existence of global warming and the effects it is having on not only the Australian health system but the world as well, instead of doing something to halt its advance, they see the effects as practically irreversible (ANU TV 2015).
There are medical anthropologists, however in fields such as agriculture and psychology who are proving useful in proposing solutions to the gradual increase in the drastic changes in climate (ANU TV 2015). An extremely popular solution to climate change is by restricting the emissions of carbons and utilizing “renewable energy” (i.e. solar and wind power) instead. They also advocate for healthier modes of transportation (i.e. riding a bicycle to work instead of driving) and living (eating lots of fruits and vegetables) (ANU TV 2015). They also believe that if the state reinforces the Australian health care system and devote some time into doing research, Australia can learn to be constantly inventive in combating global warming (ANU TV 2015). Once they learn how to develop new ways that can combat with the constant changes in weather then the state will be able to increase the health of their citizens (ANU TV 2015).
Work Cited
ANU TV. Climate Change and Public Health. YouTube. YouTube, 24 June 2015. Web. 05 June 2016.
