Oriol Lladó
Journalist
The Health and Global Warming Observatory in Spain will allow observing, analyzing, diagnosing and following Global Warming effects on citizens’ health and, thus, establishing measures to allow preventing or mitigating its negative consequences. This observatory will have a scientific nature and will be specialized on studying and analyzing the consequences of Global Warming on health.
Experts state that Global Warming will entail more and more intense heat waves as well as extreme atmospheric phenomena suffered especially in the south of the Mediterranean. These changes can affect human health in various direct or indirect ways, some of them very serious, as it is stated by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention(USA), a remarkable organization on this matter.
Photo: zugaldia (Flickr)
The exposition to heat has important effects on health: it aggravates chronic diseases, especially respiratory and cardiovascular ones. Heat also increases tropospheric ozone concentrations which can cause direct lung lesions and it increases the seriousness on respiratory diseases such as asthma. The increase in CO2 concentrations at floor level together with longer vegetative periods can turn into a major production of pollen and in the worsening of allergic and respiratory diseases.
Las olas de calor acostumbran a acarrear un uso más intensivo de sistemas de refrigeración. En algunos países, estos sistemas están relacionados con la quema de combustibles fósiles. En este caso, las partículas en el aire conducen a mayores afectaciones respiratorias.
The heat waves use to entail an increase in the use of refrigeration systems. In some countries these systems are connected with combustion of fossil fuels. On these cases the particles in the air lead to major respiratory problems.
The global warming and hydric regimes will bring to our country an enlargement of desertification. This phenomenon will become more serious in the poorest countries of Africa. Draughts implicate the lack of drinking water which is detrimental for agrarian production. Moreover, Global Warming could bring diseases typical in warmer regions.
The Spanish Health and Global Warming Observatory will study these factors and other ones. Not only will it study the consequences on citizens’ health but on Health Public System as well.
The Department of Health and Social Policy minister, Trinidad Jiménez, together with the Environment, Rural and Sea Minister, Elena Espinosa, have recently signed the Marc Protocol under which the Observatory has been created. It is affiliated to the Dirección General de Salud Pública y Sanidad Exterior. A Technical Comission made up by expert scientists and technicians will be created; all of them have a recognized prestige on the matter. They have been designed under de Management Committee proposal.
Tags: climate change, environmental, health
Tags: climate change, environmental, health
