Changes in Climate to Trigger Health Problems: Meteorologists

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Monday, March 24, 2003

Changes in Climate to Trigger Health Problems: Meteorologists

Global warming could greatly threaten people's health and daily life in the future, meteorologists said Sunday, which was World Meteorological Day.

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Global warming could greatly threaten people's health and daily life in the future, meteorologists said Sunday, which was World Meteorological Day.

They noted that 40 to 50 percent of the world's population might be affected by some insect-transmitted diseases such as malaria and dengue fever in the future as the climate turns warmer.

Global warming may bring rise to more plant diseases and insectpests in hot and humid areas, where people's health would be undergreat threat, especially in densely-populated areas, meteorologists said.

"Changes in temperature and rainfall might probably change thoroughly the distribution of infectious diseases and viruses andenable them to extend to high-latitude areas and influence more people," said Zhu Changhan, chief research fellow on climate effects with China's National Climate Center.

Professor Ding Yihui, special adviser on climate changes with the China Meteorological Administration (CMA), shared a similar perspective with Zhu.

"The discomfort brought to human beings by climate changes willalso encourage the spread of some diseases, or even lead to death," Ding said.

Analysts said people in developing countries will be subject togreater health threats in time of warming, considering their lack of medical facilities and medicines.

"Global warming would bring its most negative consequences to the health of those living in impoverished areas," Ding added.

More hot days are waiting ahead worldwide as the trend of global warming continues, incurring more heat-related diseases and deaths, according to the CMA.

However, global warming will reduce cold stress in temperate countries but increase their heat stress, said Godwin O.P. Obasi, secretary-general of the World Meteorological Organization.

Experts said the warming climate would also reduce the mortality of people in middle to high latitudes caused by chilly cold during the winter.

"Any changes in climate lay profound effects on the health, living environment and the daily life of people," said CMA Director Qin Dahe.

"We have no time to lose to protect the global climate," he said.

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