Climate change, global warming, and intensive care

In the last five decades, human activities have resulted in the release of increasing quantities of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, thus contributing to global climate change by additional heating of the atmosphere. The world has warmed up by approximately 0.85 °C. In particular, the last decade has been the warmest since 1850 and the frequency and intensity of natural disasters (such as earthquakes, devastating storms, forest fires, prolonged heatwaves, droughts, and floods) have increased manifold. Between 1998 and 2017, climate-related and geophysical disasters killed 1.3 million people and left a further 4.4 billion injured, homeless, displaced, or in need of emergency assistance. Climate change scenarios include a change in the spread of infectious diseases with warming and changes in outbreaks associated with extreme weather events after floods or as a result of water heating. Furthermore, warmer climates provide more favourable conditions for the survival and completion of the life cycle of the vector that transmits pathogens. Natural disasters and extreme events lead to traumatic deaths and injuries, mental illnesses, and infections, while global warming per se promotes heat-associated illnesses (cardiovascular strain, pulmonary diseases, exsiccosis, and mental disorders.

Author(s): Thomas Bein

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