Olivia Gentry

RC 2001-410

Major Issues Essay

Climate change is an issue being discussed around the world. According to NASA,

climate change is a change in the usual weather found in a place and is also a change in the

earths overall climate (What Is Climate Change?). One of the most concerning things about

climate change is that even if greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions stop, the climate will continue to

change irreversibly (Solomon). GHGs are gases that trap heat in the atmosphere and the main

four of these gases are carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and fluorinated gases (Overview

of Greenhouse Gases.).

The impact of climate change on the health of the world population is a newer topic, but

also being discussed around the world. According to the World Health Organization, Health is a

state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or

infirmity (Frequently asked questions.). There are many studies being done that go beyond its

impact on the environment to explore the effects on health and the importance of this paradigm

shift is being stressed in many studies. According to an article in The Lancet, climate change will

have an adverse impact on human health in many ways, and a newer approach to the research of

this is broader than it has been in the past (McMichael). There is not much research yet on the

impact of climate change on health because in the past it has been focused primarily on the

impact of climate change on the environment. The newer approach to research now includes

health along with the environment. The answer to how climate change impacts health has a

different answer based on the frame it is looked through. The aim of this paper is to examine
how the health of three different countries is impacted by climate change and how different

aspects of those countries affect how they view that impact. I will also examine how countries

are working to mitigate the effects of climate change as part of their response to climate change.

If climate change mitigated, its impacts on health will also be mitigated. The countries we will

discuss all have distinct qualities that make them different than each other to provide a broad

view of this issue. They range from developing to developed and span the globe.

Climate change impacts everyone, but people living in developing island nations are

especially vulnerable (Climate change and health.). Areas with weak infrastructure are also

considered more vulnerable (Climate change and health.). One example of a country that falls

into this category, is Madagascar (The World Factbook: MADAGASCAR.). Eighty percent of

Madagascars species cannot be found anywhere else on earth (Environment and Climate

Change.). In 2017, the U.S. Agency for International Development (Environment and Climate

Change.) launched the Conservation and Communities Project in Madagascar. The project will

work to protect Madagascars natural capital through preservation of the countries biodiversity.

The way this will impact the health of citizens is by the promotion of resilient livelihoods

(Environment and Climate Change.). Instead of USAID going into the country, fixing the

issue, and then leaving, it will enable locals to carry out programs (Environment and Climate

Change.). This project will not only work to protect the diversity of the country, but also create

sustainable jobs for people within the country. With sustainable jobs, people are able to provide

for themselves or their families. This includes shelter and food; basic human needs. It is nearly

impossible to be healthy without either of those things. I am not saying the people of Madagascar

to not already have these things. Instead, I am saying that a sustainable job provides security
within these things. A job that does not go away means money that does not go away, and needs

will continue to be fulfilled.

Madagascar has the longest coastline of any country in Africa (Environment and

Climate Change.). This coastline and the communities located there are threatened by powerful

cyclones and rising sea levels (Environment and Climate Change.), both of which are partially

caused by climate change. Not only do natural disasters cause damage to infrastructure and the

environment, they also displace people and therefore have negative mental health impacts. This

is an example of climate change having an impact beyond that goes beyond physical health. In

countries unable to handle displaced people, this issue only gets worse. Not only are they unable

to find places for people to stay after being displaced, it is also likely that they are unable to

provide mental health care in response to these situations.

When it comes to contributions to climate change through GHG emissions, Madagascar

ranks 139 out of 220 countries (World's countries ranked). This means that Madagascar

produces small amounts of GHGs. 98% of these emissions come from land use change and

forestry and agriculture (Global Climate Change.). By definition, a developing country has,

little industrial and economic activity (Developing country.). This explains why Madagascar

has relatively low GHG emissions but also explains why it and other developing countries

struggle to address climate change. Madagascar does not contribute to GHGs in large amounts

and struggles to have the economic power to make large scale changes in emissions or provide

disaster relief and response. It is also important to take into consideration that the fastest way to

grow economically and infrastructurally is often through activities that produce large amounts of

GHGs. It is hard to deny developing countries the opportunity to grow without also providing

resources to do that in a sustainable and economically friendly way. A developing country

growing includes the growth of infrastructure. This can mean healthcare infrastructure or the

ability to have storm resistant buildings and response to storms after they happen. Without strong

healthcare, it is hard to keep people healthy or prevent them from getting sick. Without strong

storm-resistant buildings or disaster relief, it is hard to reduce damage due to storm. These types

of infrastructure are a vital part of responding to the health impacts of climate change.

Now that I have discussed a developing country, I will move on to a country that lies

between developing and developed. According to the World Bank Group, Thailand has moved

from a low-income country to an upper-income country over the past four decades

(Overview.). However, it still relies heavily on agriculture which accounts for 10% of its GDP

and employs one-third of the population (The World Factbook: THAILAND.). The coastal

location of Thailands capital city, Bangkok (The World Factbook: THAILAND.), is

threatened by rising sea levels. Bangkok serves as the economic, social, and political hub for

Thailand (Kisner) containing 9.27 million people and the highest population density in Thailand

(The World Factbook: THAILAND.). Flooding in the capital would have resounding impacts

on the country. There would be loss of businesses, homes, lifes, and other important

infrastructure. The flooding associated with rising sea levels presents itself as a specific example

of climate change. When major floods happen, there is potential for increase in vector-borne and

water-borne diseases (Flooding and communicable). Flooding can also damage necessary

infrastructure like power sources, which effects health facilities. If health facilities are already

weak and then sustain further damage, it is then challenging to respond to an increase in vector-

borne disease and other health impacts of climate change.

When it comes to dependence on agriculture, being able to produce enough food to eat

and export through it is an important part of health. This connection is made because of
agricultures relation to food security. Populations cannot be healthy without the access to or

means to purchase food. The interesting thing about agriculture is that it is both impacted by

climate change and contributes to climate change (Thailand). On, one hand rice cultivation

contributes to GHGs and therefore climate change in the form of the emission of methane

(Cruz). On the other hand, worsening storms or droughts can cause changes to a normal rice

growing season. Thailand has taken steps to improve rice farming practices to address this issue

(Thailand). Because Thailand relies on agriculture and has been growing economically, the

importance placed on food security and actions being taken make sense for Thailand.

On the list of GHG emissions, Thailand is ranked 19th out of 220. (World's countries

ranked). Thailand understands its contribution to climate change but is also limited in how it

can respond. This is addressed in their Biennial Update Report Under the United Nations

Framework Convention on Climate Change through discussing the importance of international

cooperation. This report outlines both how Thailand is contributing to climate change and how

Thailand is working to mitigate climate change (Thailand). Thailand also created the Bangkok

Declaration of 2020. Its purpose was to demonstrate [Thailands] renewed interest in, and

commitment to, realizing a promising decade (2010-2020) of sustainable actions and measures

for achieving safe, secure, quick, reliable, affordable, efficient and people-centric and

environment friendly transport in rapidly urbanizing Asia (Bangkok Declaration for 2020).

While it focused primarily on transportation, it is an example of Thailand confirming their

intention to mitigation of activities that cause climate change. Through mitigation of climate

change, the impacts of climate change on health are also being mitigated. It reduces the need to

respond to the health impacts because they will be lessened to begin with.
 While it might seem that a developed country like the United States (US) has the least to

lose from climate change, that is not the case. The rise of certain diseases provides an example of

climate change directly impacting health within the US. In 2016, the US saw an outbreak of the

Zika virus; every state but Alaska reported a case (Rosen). Zika is a mosquito-borne or vector-

borne disease that is typically found in warmer, tropical areas (Rosen). Diseases like these have

increased prevalence due to the warming of the planet and is part of climate change (Eckelman

and Sherman). Because the US had not seen the disease in these numbers, there was panic

(Eckelman and Sherman). If this pattern of new and emerging diseases continues, stress will be

placed on health and research facilities.

Unfortunately, some of the U.S. government does not currently believe that the climate

change occurring is caused by humans (Marsh and Wallace). In fact, President Donald Trump

has decided he wants to pull the US out of the Paris Climate Accord (Marsh and Wallace). This

may be partially due to the fact that in 2014, the US was the second largest emitter of carbon

dioxide (United States). In order for emissions to be reduced and therefore the impacts of climate

change on health reduced, there are going to have to be severe changes in emissions. There also

need to be new policies made that will enforce that change in emissions. Those changes are

necessary for the health of people and the environment, but they are expensive. This is

something that the leader of the U.S. has decided is not important. From the perspective of a

businessman running a business, this makes sense. However, the planet and its inhabitants are

not a business.

Overall, it is easy to see that climate change does have an impact on the health of all

populations. It is something almost all parts of the world are contributing to in some way, though

at different levels. Climate change destroys communities and vital ecosystems. It is creating
worse storms that displace people and produces negative physical and mental health impacts.

These storms along with worsening droughts can reduce agricultural production. Warming

climates increase the prevalence of vector-borne diseases, often in areas that have never seen

those diseases before. Although these issues were discussed specific to different countries, they

are all connected. Developing countries impacted by storms often receive help from other

countries, slowed rice production impacts those who export and import rice and these vector-

borne diseases require response across the world to improve the health of all people.

Communities react to the threats of climate change in different ways. It can depend on things like

economic status and the sector a country relies on for jobs. It can also depend on the government

that is in charge. Each of these factors affect the lens through which a community sees climate

change and therefore how they react to it.

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