Global Warming May Spread Disease Article Summary
Article review
The article “Global Warming May Spread Diseases”, published in the online newspaper “CBSNews” in 2009 [1], argues that climate warming is allowing disease-causing bacteria, viruses and fungi to move into new areas where they may harm species including humans. The author believes that pathogens that have been restricted by seasonal temperatures can invade new areas and find new victims as the climate warms and winters grow milder. In my opinion, the article is structured in a very effective manner: it first presents what would happen if the situation will not change, and then provides some examples of what has already happened with some species.
The first part of the article mainly focuses on ongoing changes connected with the global warming and possible scenario of what these changes will entail. Climate change is disrupting natural ecosystems in a way that is making life better for infectious diseases and scientists believe that just a one- or two-degree change in temperature can lead to disease outbreaks. It is very reasonable because they also found some pathogens reproduce more often in warmer temperatures, so there are more germs around to cause infection. …show more content…
The author warns that malaria and yellow fever may become more common as milder winters permit the seasonal survival of more mosquitoes, which carry these diseases and climate warming could enable them to move into areas where the cold once kept them out.
Also we can meet in the last part of the article some examples of effects occurred. For instance, coral reefs in many parts of the world are becoming bleached and dying, killed by pathogens that thrive in the warming seas. Or a parasite that kills Monarch butterflies can survive only at warm temperatures and the warming climate has allowed the parasite to
spread.
Regard to the dangers faced by some species of animals, the article lists the excellent examples and it gives us to understand the inevitability of what is happening to them. However, I would like to note that the anxious tone about humans that the article sets a little justified. The problem with global warming and disease, threaten humanity, is not that it would create more powerful diseases, it would just increase the range that these diseases can spread to. Such diseases would include malaria, yellow fever, etc. which scientists have already developed cures and vaccines to prevent against. Should global warming increase the range of these diseases world health organizations could simply coordinate which people are at risk for such diseases. Since scientists established that temperature rise would take quite sometime then, I believe, such organizations would have plenty of time to analyze who is at risk and prepare for any outbreaks.
1) http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/06/20/tech/main512920.shtml
The article “Global Warming May Spread Diseases”, published in the online newspaper “CBSNews” in 2009 [1], argues that climate warming is allowing disease-causing bacteria, viruses and fungi to move into new areas where they may harm species including humans. The author believes that pathogens that have been restricted by seasonal temperatures can invade new areas and find new victims as the climate warms and winters grow milder. In my opinion, the article is structured in a very effective manner: it first presents what would happen if the situation will not change, and then provides some examples of what has already happened with some species.
The first part of the article mainly focuses on ongoing changes connected with the global warming and possible scenario of what these changes will entail. Climate change is disrupting natural ecosystems in a way that is making life better for infectious diseases and scientists believe that just a one- or two-degree change in temperature can lead to disease outbreaks. It is very reasonable because they also found some pathogens reproduce more often in warmer temperatures, so there are more germs around to cause infection. …show more content…
The author warns that malaria and yellow fever may become more common as milder winters permit the seasonal survival of more mosquitoes, which carry these diseases and climate warming could enable them to move into areas where the cold once kept them out.
Also we can meet in the last part of the article some examples of effects occurred. For instance, coral reefs in many parts of the world are becoming bleached and dying, killed by pathogens that thrive in the warming seas. Or a parasite that kills Monarch butterflies can survive only at warm temperatures and the warming climate has allowed the parasite to
spread.
Regard to the dangers faced by some species of animals, the article lists the excellent examples and it gives us to understand the inevitability of what is happening to them. However, I would like to note that the anxious tone about humans that the article sets a little justified. The problem with global warming and disease, threaten humanity, is not that it would create more powerful diseases, it would just increase the range that these diseases can spread to. Such diseases would include malaria, yellow fever, etc. which scientists have already developed cures and vaccines to prevent against. Should global warming increase the range of these diseases world health organizations could simply coordinate which people are at risk for such diseases. Since scientists established that temperature rise would take quite sometime then, I believe, such organizations would have plenty of time to analyze who is at risk and prepare for any outbreaks.
1) http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/06/20/tech/main512920.shtml