Climate change report 2014: A serious threat to humanity

Recently released report of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has documented a vast number of studies and data to highlight the various health risks the people around the globe are likely to face because of the changes in climate. According to the findings of various studies, the human activities play an important role in global warming especially the earth’s surface. The report concludes that the climate change effects on human health will aggravate by the middle of this century. Mainly the setbacks to food production resulting in undernutrition whereas global warming resulting in disease and injury would be the major outcomes of climate changes. These would emerge as the urgent challenges which are likely to affect those regions of the world which already are under the threat of malnutrition and infectious disease. The findings of this panel seem to be very scary and many believe them to be overstated in terms of dangers and impending doom. Some scientists believe that it is not the carbon dioxide (CO2) which is a major factor for climate change but in fact it the role of the sun in doing so. Some others contradict the findings of the panel and say that instead of the fall in crop production due to global warming and the carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, in fact these factors have actually helped achieve higher rice production. The projected climate refugees suggested by the panel earlier due to the rise in the sea levels never happened. However, the deteriorating environment may be due to the emissions of greenhouse gases, CO2, methane and many others resulting in climate changes is a reality and has to be taken very seriously. Judicious use of the natural resources and sustainable development have to be taken up aggressively.

Professor S. P. Singh, Ph.D.
Editor-in-Chief, Human Biology Review
Former Dean, Faculty of Life Sciences,
Punjabi University, Patiala, India

 

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