Climate change is an emerging concern as it has brought about many health issues, and it is worsening over the years in the United States(Policy statements,n.d). Climate change causes unpredictable weather patterns and progressive warming that poses a colossal threat to the respiratory system. There is increased respiratory diseases as risk factors are growing too, such as particulate matter at ground level, the concentration of outdoor ozone, mold proliferation allergens produced by eating plants, and amount of pollen. These diseases are respiratory tract infections, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, rhinosinusitis, and asthma. High temperature is lengthening the seasons in which plants produce pollen. Increased humidity and average temperature, which results from climate change, is rising dampness, promoting the growth of funguses and molds, which cause respiratory conditions such as airway infections and asthma exacerbations. Ozone levels are also increasing due to climate change and trigger asthma exacerbation and driving asthma development, mostly in children.
The population at a greater risk of being affected by climate change is persons with prior cardiopulmonary diseases, children, and persons above 65. Individuals living in coastlines, flood plains, and isolated rural areas are vulnerable to persistent climate change and extreme weather changes. Vulnerability is determined by the level of exposure, which may be physically, chemically, psychosocial, and biologically exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity(D'amato et al.,2016). The temperature ranges are increasing globally, evidenced by diminishing snow cover in the Northern hemisphere, sea ice retreating in the Arctic, glaciers melting, rising sea level, and warming of the ocean. Climate changes affect the quality of food, water, and the air at the national and local levels. The biological and physical systems are changing due to weather change patterns, which are some of the causes of respiratory health deterioration.
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Climate change has become a significant issue of concern in the health sector. It is increasingly triggering respiratory tract diseases, developing a policy that will curb the effects and their sources. According to their location, local and national strategies are needed to avert the health-related burdens caused by climate change depending on individuals' vulnerability to climate change. Most solutions to curb the effects of climate change and prevent further changes are political hence have not been successful. Hence, the need for professionals and health workers to get in and find lasting solutions. Scientists, physicians, social service providers, politicians, public health officials, and planners have been given the responsibility to try and curb the effects of climate change and prevent further damage. Nurses and other health workers should work on research to reduce the impacts of greenhouse gases(George et al.,2017). Health officials should be allowed to aces the local and national health and environmental data surveillance systems to note the health and environmental changes that have occurred recently. This information will help them determine the most likely factor causing health issues and particular health issues.
The health workers should develop a system that will record all patients who have recently acquired respiratory diseases and their location. This system will help determine the most vulnerable population to respiratory infections caused by climate change, their place, and the health issue's leading cause. In the search for a solution to climate change, it is advisable to either adapt or mitigate(Patella et al.,2018). Mitigation focuses on reducing the long-term hazards or permanently reducing the risks to human health. Adaptation involves adjusting to climate change in a way that ways to cope with the impacts of climate change and reducing potential damage. After developing adaptation and mitigation policies, the general public will be advised to change their lifestyles and behaviors to improve the situation.
The public should also be allowed to participate in the research by conveying information regarding respiratory diseases that may originate from climate change. Public health workers and other professionals cannot develop policies to curb climate changes without government support. The government needs to provide resources and funding to the health sector to carry out their research without enough permission and resources. The national budget should allocate funds to fund climate change researchers’ activities(Patz et al.,2018). The government administrators should ensure that politicians do not interfere with the research and politicize it. The politicians' role will be to make the professionals' policies come up with to be law.
Climate change has negatively impacted service delivery in the health sector as health professionals have already written policy statements urging the government to help them curb climate changes. The changes are threatening to the continuity of service delivery and also affecting the quality of services delivered. Factors contributing to health-related issues are increasing as food and water that people are taking have been contaminated by the extreme weather changes. The doctors and nurses are also getting these illnesses brought about by climate change, affecting the whole health sector. In conclusion, climate change is a factor that is contributing to most respiratory diseases and worsening their effects hence the need for the US nation to focus on eliminating and adapting to the changes to prevent further damage.
References
D'amato, G., Pawankar, R., Vitale, C., Lanza, M., Molino, A., Stanziola, A., ... & D'amato, M. (2016). Climate change and air pollution: effects on respiratory allergy. Allergy, asthma & immunology research , 8 (5), 391.
George, M., Bruzzese, J. M., & Matura, L. A. (2017). Climate change effects on respiratory health: Nursing implications. Journal of Nursing Scholarship , 49 (6), 644-652.
Patella, V., Florio, G., Magliacane, D., Giuliano, A., Crivellaro, M. A., Di Bartolomeo, D., ... & Zollo, A. (2018). Urban air pollution and climate change: "The Decalogue: Allergy Safe Tree" for allergic and respiratory diseases care. Clinical and Molecular Allergy , 16 (1), 1-11.
Patz, A. J., Mcgeehin, M. A., Benard, S. M., & Ebi, K. L. (2018, May). Environmental Health Perspectives
Policy statements . (n.d.). American Public Health Association — For science. For action. For health. https://www.apha.org/policies-and-advocacy/public-health-policy-statements
