I want you to close your eyes for minute and imagine what you think life will be like for your grandchildren. Once you’re finished, open them. Most likely you were imaging the advances in technology – flying cars, holograms, time travel, an increase in infrastructure, and the list goes on. But, did anything about the environment come across your mind? If not, then close your eyes again and keep in mind what the climate has been like recently. Think about those days in Columbia, South Carolina during mid-January and how one day it is about 50 degrees’ Fahrenheit outside and the next day it is about 70 degrees’ Fahrenheit outside. One day you are wearing a winter jacket and sweatpants but the next day you are wearing shorts and flip flops. To me, that seems bizarre; there is something obviously wrong with that scenario. Because of climate change your grandchildren will potentially grow up in a world with an increased rate of infectious disease, high levels of pollutants in the air – making it hard for them to breath when running around while playing, and there are many other potential impacts to their health. Also, because of climate change your grandchildren could potentially grow up in a world where the animals we once knew no longer exist. Our generation grew up watching movies like The Lion King, Madagascar, Bambi and Nemo and cuddling with our favorite stuffed animals when falling asleep at night. The real versions of those animals that we once loved to play with, and watch on television are going to become a faint and distant memory. The way we view dinosaurs will probably be the same way our grandchildren view a lot of the animals that are currently alive but at risk of extinction. Those animals will just become an image on the internet, something that ‘once was’ – not an actual, real-life creature that can be found in the wild or seen in a zoo. If you want your grandchildren to live in a world that is beautiful like the one we currently have then our generation needs to come together and initiate the change to reverse the effects of climate change. Climate change negatively impacts animal habitats as well as negatively impacts the lives and health of human beings. 

One of my personal favorite groups of animals while growing up were artic animals, particularly, the one I cherished the most was polar bears. It was tough for me to find out that an animal I once cared so deeply for is now at risk of becoming extinct. The sea ice and snow are melting in the artic and it is becoming too warm for polar bears to survive because greenhouse gas emissions are being released into the atmosphere. Humans have developed ways to adapt to climate change, however, it is not that easy for animals. For example, in an effort to stay cool during a hot summer day we have the ability to lock ourselves in our homes and turn on our air conditioning systems while drinking ice cold water. But, for polar bears it will nearly be impossible for them to adapt to hot summer days. Their bodies were not built for the heat. The biggest threat to the survival of polar bears is climate change. There is a direct relationship between climate change threatening the survival of polar bears and impacting human safety and health. Bianca Britton, writer for CNN explains an experiment that the US geological Survey took – they recorded footage of a female adult polar bear and examined the changes in her behavior and feeding rates that were in result of climate change. The footage revealed that polar bears are having a hard time hunting so they have started invading community land. Because the polar bears are being forced into heavily populated areas there is an increase in the rate of human-bear conflict and it is instilling fear among many humans that lives in these areas (Britton). This could possibly cause fatalities. Sea ice is crucial for the survival of polar bears in more ways than just hunting. According to New York Times writer, Erica Goode, “the sooner global warming and sea-ice loss are stopped, the better the long-term prognosis for the species” (Goode). Unfortunately, there is little hope that our furry friend, the polar bear, has a chance of survival if climate change does not stop soon. 

Climate change has a negative impact on the health and habitats of humans. There is a relationship between climate change and the spread of infectious diseases. In Paul Epstein book, Changing Planet, Changing Health : How The Climate Crisis Threatens Our Health And What We Can Do About It he backs up the claim I am making and argues a strong point that climate change has a significant impact on human health because of diseases and the large amounts of carbon dioxide that has been released into the atmosphere. Climate change is not only harmful towards animals but it is harmful to human health as well. Sometimes it is human nature to put ourselves first, we are naturally selfish beings. If you did not already think that climate change was an issue because of the effects it has on animals then maybe you will believe it now when I explain how it has an impact on human health. Epstein says, climate change could devastate public health by midcentury (Epstein, 3). There are multiple ways climate change has an impact on increasing the rate of infectious disease – it has contributed to the spread of malaria carrying mosquitoes, and the melting of mountain glaciers which ultimately contaminated water supplies. As a result, this has caused fatalities which makes it clear that climate change is a risk to our health. Because of climate change some countries they are already feeling the effects badly and people are dying, if we continue to prolong making changes to our lives to become more sustainable individuals then climate change could potentially wipe out the entire human species. There is a relationship between climate change and disease. Evidence is coming to the surface that the climate is changing at a fast rate than previously noted and this topic is one that needs to be handled with urgency (Choffnes). Extreme weather patterns are also a big issue climate change has caused. According to Epstein, because of the damage humans have done slowly over decades to the environment the atmosphere has become warmer, “oceans have altered humidity and wind patterns in some regions and generated more extreme weather in others” (Epstein, 2). There is a connection between aquatic and marine environments that makes it possible for infectious diseases of fish and wildlife to travel from freshwater sources to intertidal ones to marine environments. This affects many species that may not have come into contact with these specific disease agents before (Choffnes). “Salmon, for example, hatch in small freshwater streams, travel hundreds of kilometers downstream to the ocean where they live for several years, only to return to the same streams where they hatched to spawn and die shortly thereafter” (Choffnes). It was observed that if there is a change in the temperature of the streams or the fish pick up disease agents, because of vectors, or an intermediate host, or a disease agent thrive in a new warmer environment, then infectious disease could potentially be the result.  (Choffnes). In Eileen Choffnes’s scholarly journal, Global Climate Change And Extreme Weather Events : Understanding The Contributions To Infectious Disease Emergence: Workshops Summary, she says we need to, “consider the possible infectious disease impacts of global climate change and extreme weather events on human, animal, and plant health, as well as their expected implications for global and national security” (Choffnes). It seems extremely obvious that there are no potential positive outcomes of climate change – only dangerous ones to our environment and our health. 

One of the infectious disease that is spreading because of climate change is through malaria carrying mosquitos. There is a direct a relationship between climate change and this infectious disease; and it is emerging because of climate change. This is happening because the temperatures are rising causing an expansion in the area that mosquitoes are able to survive and thrive in due to the conditions of these particular areas. According to UCAR, “if those breeding mosquitos happen to be a species that can transmit disease and if there is an infected population in the region, then the disease is more likely to spread in that area. Because they are sensitive to climate, the distribution and number of vectors is also affected by climate change” (UCAR). It has been noted that in 20100 the predicted average global temperature rise will be expected to at least be 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit. However, some of the current areas where mosquitos are present could potentially become too hot for them to survive because of the expected temperature rise. And in other areas where people never thought mosquitos could survive will potentially turn into a warm and wet environment they are able to survive in. And these places will likely face disease (Morland). The people that will be affect the most by these mosquitos are people that live in poor urban communities and those in undeveloped countries. According to UCAR, “climate change is expected to continue to alter the distribution of disease vectors, it is important to recognize that there are several other factors (such as changes in land use, population density, and human behavior) that can also change the distribution of disease vectors as well as the extent of infection” (UCAR).  It is likely that malaria carrying mosquitos will not make a big difference in places like that United States and other developed countries where public health systems know how to treat and combat mosquito-borne illnesses (Moreland). However, just because someone lives in the United States or another developed country that does not mean that they are completely safe from the impacts climate change has on health. Malaria carrying mosquitos are a risk to our health and are a potential threat to a growing list of areas around the world if the temperature continues to rise the way it is now. In George Luber’s scholarly journal, Global Climate Change and Human Health : From Science to Practice he backs up the claim that the threats climate change has on human health include diseases carried by vector borne mosquitoes. Also, he argues climate change is a threat to our health because there is illness caused by food and water, there is injury and death caused by extreme weather patterns and heat waves, there is reduced air quality due to wildfire smoke, ozone and aeroallergens. These health issues are primarily affecting specific groups of people – old, young, and lower class citizens. These are all important things that climate change is having an impact on. Specifically, there is reduced air quality because of wildfire smoke, ozone and aeroallergens. This is causing the rates of asthma to increase. Asthma is a very common diagnosis. Those that have been diagnosed with it are now going to have more severe symptoms and reactions due to climate change. Reduced air quality is making it harder for people to breath. It will be easier for those to have asthma attacks and potentially have more intense ones. John Iadarola, YouTube host for The Young Turks, made a video, New Ways Climate Change Will Affect Public Health and backs up my claim when he focuses on the effects climate change has on human health and specifically aims attention at asthma worsening. Rates of asthma are heightening as result of the heat, allergens and air pollution (Iadarola). Allergy season is lasting a month longer than normal. There have been premature deaths because of exposure to intense heat. Also, there has been evidence that surfaced that there is an increase in the number of cases of lime disease. These sources I referenced provide evidence and information on how climate change is a threat to our health and to the entire human race. 

When the topic of climate change is brought up people typically have emotionally charged opinions and strong feelings weather they believe in it or not. For most people, climate change is becoming an obvious problem but for others they might have controversial views. Hopefully with the research I have done I have brought awareness to those that don’t believe in climate change and showed them that it is going to have an impact on their health. Weather someone believes in climate change or not, we all are going to feel the effects of it. Climate change is negatively impacting animal habitats and impacting the lives and health of human beings. It is a hot topic and more attention is being brought to it in the media because it is such a prevalent issue in our society today. Humans are the main perpetuators of climate change; therefore, humans need to initiate change into their lives to reverse the damage they have done. You might think this is impossible or you may be too lazy to even try. But, there is hope for the next generations if we come together and undo the damage we have done to the environment by incorporating sustainable choices into our lives. These can include small changes like taking shorter showers – if you are one of those people that are too lazy to try. We are the ones that need to act because it is going to have the biggest impact on us and our families for generations to come. Climate change is an important issue that needs to be talked about because it is real and it is affecting the entire world. We no longer can ignore this issue and slide it under the rug. This topic needs to be discussed and publicized in the media daily to remind us to spread the word that climate change is real and it is happening right now. Weather you care more about yourself or more about the animals – it is not too late, start today and help us change the world in a positive way. Even little things like reusing bags and recycling are positive changes someone can make that will help. I want this world to be kept a livable habitat for many more centuries of people to come. Epstein reminds us and urges us to, “transform the way we power society and organize our economy to preserve a livable planet” (pg.3).  I want to keep it a safe place where our grandchildren can play and everyone can continue to experience the beauty of nature. Go look outside your window. It doesn’t matter where we are in the world, we all see the sky, the clouds, the sun, and the moon. Depending on where you live in the world you might see a beach, mountains, city building, grass fields, etc. Take it all in. With an optimistic point of view then positive change is possible. Let’s move towards change so our grandchildren can enjoy the scenery too. I am doing my part to help the planet. Are you? 
