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How lack of water can cause health problems

According to the United Nations draft assessment, hunger, drought, and disease will affect tens of millions of people within decades.

The draft assessment reveals the terrible consequences of global warming on human health. After a year of the world pandemic, a report to be issued by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) provides a frustrating vision for the coming decades: malnutrition, water insecurity, and plague. According to the report, policy choices made now, such as the promotion of plant-based diets, can limit these health consequences-but many are inevitable in the short term.

It warned that simultaneous crop failures, a decline in the nutritional value of basic foods, and a surge in inflation could have a knock-on effect on the most vulnerable people in the world. According to human beings’ ability to deal with carbon emissions and rising temperatures, children born today may face a variety of climate-related health threats before the age of 30.

The IPCC’s 4,000-page draft report is scheduled to be released next year.

 

It provides the most comprehensive overview of the impact of climate change on our planet and our species to date. It predicts that by 2050, there will be 80 million more people at risk of hunger than today. It predicts that the interruption of the water cycle will lead to a decrease in the main crops in sub-Saharan Africa that rely on rainwater for irrigation. Up to 40% of rice-producing areas in India may become unsuitable for growing grains.

The report shows that since 1981, due to climate change, global corn production has fallen by 4%, while the man-made warming in West Africa has reduced the production of millet and sorghum by 20% and 15%, respectively. Maria Nella, director of the social determinants of public health, environment, and health at the World Health Organization, told AFP: “The foundation of our health is supported by three pillars: the food we eat, access to water, and shelter.”

Water Crisis

With over half the world’s population facing water insecurity, climate impacts will undoubtedly make that worse.

The report outlines in the harshest terms so far that the fate that may wait for millions of people to obtain safe water will be thrown into chaos due to climate change. According to the report, studies on water supply, agriculture and sea level rise indicate that by 2050, 30 to 140 million people in Africa, Southeast Asia and Latin America may be internally displaced. As many as three-quarters of the massively mined groundwater is the main source of drinking water for 2.5 billion people and it may be interrupted by the middle of this century.

The report stated that the rapid melting of mountain glaciers has “seriously affected the water cycle”, which is an important source of 2 billion people and may “cause or exacerbate water tensions.” Although the economic cost of climate impact on water supply varies from region to region, global GDP is expected to decrease by 0.5% by 2050. Water is one of the problems that the next generation will soon face.

 

with information from: https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20210623-hunger-drought-disease-un-climate-report-reveals-dire-health-threats

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