What is a posting on climate change doing in a health blog? Well, as it turns out, climate change has the potential to severely and negatively affect human health. Even minor changes in global temperature result in major changes to our weather patterns (including heat waves, flooding and natural disasters), which are already having a negative impact on human health.

For example, increased global temperatures result in heat waves. The consequence of heat waves for people is two-fold.
1) We suffer from increased incidence of (and fatality from) heat stroke and heat stress.
2) Crop yields decline, causing hunger and malnutrition. 

Climate change could also lead to flooding. Flooding has the potential to overwhelm sewage systems, which often leads to the contamination of drinking water and water-borne as well as food-borne illnesses.

We’re already experiencing natural disasters with increased intensity. Hurricanes and tornados are more powerful and create more devastation today than in years past. Not only do they result in injuries, fatalities and homelessness, but also their aftermath often includes contamination of the drinking water supply and mental health issues for survivors.

For more information on the health implications of climate change, visit The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention site on Climate Change and Public Health which includes a chart of climate change induced weather events, the specific health effects they lead to, and the populations who will be most affected.

So what can we do about Climate Change?

Choose to live a healthier life because healthy living is about more than diet and exercise, it’s about a healthy planet too!

• Eat healthy: Pre-packaged foods and fast foods use large amounts of materials and energy (the production of which creates greenhouse gas emissions which contribute to climate change). These foods also tend to be less healthy for us (high in fat, sugar, and calories). So, skip the dollar menu and stick to a diet high in whole grains, fruits and vegetables.
• Travel healthy: We already know that walking and bike riding are low-impact exercises, which are good for our bodies, but walking, bike riding, and mass transportation are also alternatives to driving cars that run on gasoline and contribute to air pollution. Air pollution not only causes climate change, but also an increased incidence of respiratory illnesses like asthma.

For more on what you can do to combat climate change, check out this U.S. Environmental Protection Agency site: http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/wycd/home.html

Want to know more about Climate Change?

• The Global Issues in Context blog is posting today about what people around the world are doing to reduce their contribution to climate change.
• The Biography Resource Center blog will share biographical information on key figures and activists who have impacted the science of or discussion around climate change.
• Re:sources, the Gale Virtual Reference Library blog, will be posting about how library users can increase their knowledge of climate change with new and award-winning electronic reference titles.
• The Sizzle is promoting overall Environmental Resources from Gale in addition to information on the upcoming launch of our GREENR blog—which will be dedicated to sharing Global Reference information about the Environment, Energy and Natural Resources.
• Follow Blog Action Day @blogactionday on Twitter or visit www.blogactionday.org for access to information from nearly 7,000 contributors in 135 countries.