Climate Change is the Biggest Global Health Threat of the 21st Century. The WritePass Journal

Climate Change is the Biggest Global Health Threat of the 21st Century. Introduction Climate Change is the Biggest Global Health Threat of the 21st Century. IntroductionGlobal Implications of Climate Change.Health effects of climate changeClimate Change and Health ModelAdaptationOther Strategies and InterventionsConclusionRelated Introduction Climate change is one of the major environmental threats facing the world today. It is referred to as â€Å"any distinct change in measures of climatic condition that could last for a long period of time such as major changes in temperature, rainfall, snow or wind patterns lasting for a decade or longer† (Allen, 2010). Over the past century, there has been a continuous rise in the levels of carbon dioxide (CO2), methane and other green gases (Frumkin et al, 2008) as well as the earth’s surface being warmed by more than 0.8 °C and by approximately 0.6 °C in the past three decades (NASA, 2007). It has been estimated that by the year 2100, the world’s mean temperature will increase by an additional 1.8 to 4.0 °C, sea levels from 0.18 to 0.59m   and a significant increase in weather variability (Solomon et al., 2007). The warming of the earth’s surface has brought about severe weather conditions such as torrential rains and flooding, droughts and storm s which are as a result of human activities such as the burning of fossil fuels which are rich in carbon and combine with oxygen in the atmosphere to release carbon dioxide that traps heat in the atmosphere (Change, 2007).   The annual emissions of CO2 and GHG have increased by 80% and 70% respectively between 1970 and 2004 (Allen, 2010). Deforestation is another human activity that has brought about the continuous change in climatic conditions (Change, 2007). Global Implications of Climate Change. It has been estimated that by the year 2015, Global Millennium Development Goals and the assurance of a safe and sustainable future will be harder to obtain due to the changes in the climate (Allen, 2010). Instances of natural disasters that have happened recently are shown below: The first hurricane ever recorded in the southern Atlantic Ocean in Brazil in 2004 and the Cyclone Nargis which raised a tidal wall 12feet high and forty kilometres long that slammed into Myanmar (Burma) in 2008 are examples of the fact that the earth is changing fast (Epstein et al, 2011 ).   In 2003, a heat wave melted 10 percent of the ice in Alps and killed more than fifty two thousand people. One thousand people were killed as a result of a drenching rain in Mumbai which also contaminated water supplies and sickened hundreds. This has led to the spread of â€Å"malaria-carrying mosquitoes, the disappearance of mountain glaciers which threatens drinking water supplies on five continents and at least 150,000 additional deaths recorded worldwide each year as well as five million years of healthy life lost to disability† (Epstein et al, 2011). Health effects of climate change Climate change affects health in several ways namely: continuous change in disease and mortality patterns, severe weather events, food and water contamination, heat wave, melting permafrost and threats to housing and public infrastructure (Costello et al., 2009, Healey et al, 2011). The major factors affecting human health are â€Å"social, political, economic, environmental and technological factors as well as urbanization, affluence, scientific developments, individual behaviour and vulnerability in terms of genetic make up, nutritional status, emotional well being, age gender and economic status† (Allen, 2010). Other potential health effects of climate change include respiratory and cardiovascular disease related to worsening air pollution, infectious diseases related to changes in vector biology, water and food contamination, nutritional shortages related to changes in food production, allergic symptoms related to increased allergen production (Heinz and Patz, 2004, Heinz et al, 2006). The way pests, parasites and pathogens affect wildlife, livestock, agriculture, forests and coastal marine organisms can also alter ecosystem composition and functions, and changes in these life support systems carry implications for human health† (Epstein, 2005). The adverse health effects of climate change will also bring about migration from flooded and inhospitable places which will encourage population growth, thereby, resulting in â€Å"increased pressure and competition for scarce resources, such as food, water and shelter† (Costello et al., 2009).   The demand for more food production will give rise â€Å"to high land loss and as a result bring about industrialization, urbanisation, sea level rises and increased flooding† (Costello et al., 2009). Figure 1 summarises the major pathways through which population health can be affected by climate change. The right hand boxes show an increase in complexity of causal process where the likelihood that health effects may be deferred or protracted while the middle boxes show the main climatic-environmental manifestations of climate change (McMichael et al., 2006). Climate Change and Health Model The effect of climate change will be greatest on countries that have made little or no contribution to its cause and those with little resources. The implementation of mitigation and adaptation helps to reduce inequity caused by negative effects on social determinants of health in the poorest countries (Costello et al., 2009). Mitigation can be described as the true prevention/intervention to lessen adverse health effects (McMichael et al., 2006). One of the most important factors in mitigating the effects of climate change on health is to bring to focus the past, present and the future events which have contributed to the transition of land, environment and the way of life of people (Healey et al, 2011).   To avoid dangerous climate change, mitigation is required to â€Å"reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase carbon biosequestration through reforestation and improved agricultural practices as well as to ensure a rapid, sustained and effective coordination of global and regional action† (Costello et al., 2009). Adaptation Climate change adaptation is required for an improved coordination and accountability of global governance. Climate change health effects can be managed when all sectors of government, civil society and academic disciplines work together to get to an expected end. It is crucial that the local communities get involved in monitoring, discussing, advocating and assisting with the process of adaptation (Costello et al, 2009). Local action is required for the prevention of local flooding and global action to make funds available as well as the needed cooperation of government and international agencies to reduce health inequalities in communities (Costello et al, 2009). Some examples of adaptation measures to climate change are shown in table 1. Table 1: Some examples of adaptation measures to climate change. (Sourced from Bulto et al, 2006) Adaptation options Current activities Future activities Strengthening primary health care and the public health system Specific health promotion and preventive programs designed to reduce population vulnerability. Educational programs of environmental risks, including climate change and their effects on human health. Continuous development of health promotion and preventive programs, increasing community participation on health issues, increasing the participation of local governments and other sectors in developing the best conditions of life. Measures to improve health surveillance systems Providing forecasts of the main climate-sensitive diseases to all levels of the National Public Health System increase number of early warning systems to predict epidemics. Continuous research to improve forecast models using the necessary indices. Incorporating new diseases and risk factors in the forecast models. Decreasing uncertainty through improved data and research on climate, epidemic, ecologic and social variables. Immunization programs, especially   for high-risk groups Maintaining the current vaccination program and prioritizing new programs. Enhancing vaccination programs immunization program and develop a prevention program for diseases. Improve sanitary conditions Developing responses to increased sanitary demands in all fields (communal, drinking water, garbage, sewage, food, and others). Maintaining contingency plans. Developing educational programs about environmental care with the participation of the community, government, and all sectors. Increasing environment care projects. Improving contingency care projects. Educational programs on radio and TV and newspapers Develop educational programs on the health risks associated with climate change   Implementing new programs on climate-health associations and communicate results to the population, governments and others. Exchange information with international researchers working on climate change and health issues Participate in international meetings. Develop new projects with participation from other countries. Other Strategies and Interventions Public health services are very essential for reducing the challenges brought about by climate change. The services can help to â€Å"monitor the health status of the community, investigate and diagnose health problems and hazards, inform and educate people regarding health issues, mobilize partnerships to solve community problems, support policies and plans to achieve health goals, enforce laws and regulations to protect health and safety, connect people to required personal health services, ensure a skilled, competent workforce, evaluate effectiveness, accessibility and quality of health services, research and apply innovative solutions† (Allen, 2010). The health and well being of humans can be increased by developing a variety of strategies for coping with climate change and reversing its ill effects such as recycling materials. These would greatly help to improve personal choices, enhance sustainability, discourage waste and clean up communities (Healey et al, 2011). Another strategy is to create awareness about the effects of climate change by ensuring individuals are educated and well informed as well as engaging people in political action to strengthen communication and ensure more equitable access to facilities (Healey et al, 2011). Interventions put in place to reduce the declination of global freshwater resources caused by rising rates of water extraction and contamination are to scale up water and sanitation services which would help to reduce infectious diseases and   avoid the health impacts of decreasing water supplies. Community participation and social mobilization are needed for addressing health concerns and creating healthy environments. The public health community needs a realistic preventive strategy to make sure healthy environments are maintained and developed from local to global needs as well as a sustainable development and protection of ecosystem services which are very important for human health (WHO, 2005). Conclusion In conclusion, climate change should be addressed as an integral part of the big challenge towards a sustainable development. This can be achieved by encouraging communities to get more involved in working towards actualizing change at multiple and socio-ecological levels (Healey et al, 2011).   Further attention needs to be placed on this issue by the government as well as the maintenance of public health infrastructure by providing adequate funds for environmental and chronic disease surveillance systems and a well trained work force (English et al, 2009).

Feasibility study of Saints Construction expand to Germany 05162 Essay - 1

Feasibility study of Saints Construction expand to Germany 05162 - Essay Example It is anticipated by the company that the Belfast site would soon be closed down. The company has selected the U.S, Germany and China as potential nations for such expansion. The current paper analyses the potential sites and assess the various feasibility factors and human resources aspects associated with the chosen site. Strengths- Since the political and the legal environment existing in the U.S is well organized, the regulations established in respect of protecting the rights of workers are well implemented and requires to be strictly followed by organizations. The U.S HRM (human resource management) policies and labour markets are well organized. Wages are regulated to meet the purchasing power existing in the market. HRM policies established in most companies of the U.S takes into consideration aspects such as adequate power distance, frequent performance monitoring and strict industry guided payment measures. Decentralization and increased market expansion have led to the availability of greater job opportunities. Workers of the U.S are highly skilled and technologically efficient, making the same quite expensive as compared with other nations. Also the localization effect existing in the U.S is dominant. This means that firms who chose to expand into the U.S must radically incorporate the cond itions existing in the nation rather than following the parent nation regulations (Erickson, 1996). Weaknesses- Implementations of regulations in the labour markets are not effective in few of the economic sectors such as the construction and production industrial segments. Although the standards of living of the general workers have enhanced, unemployment still persists. From the social point of view the U.S faces the challenge of labour shortage. An ageing population is the main crux of the issue of lack of labour availability. Culturally, the mindset of the people is quite liberal, however a number of cases associated with

Different learning styles Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Different learning styles - Essay Example These different learning styles are visual, auditory, and tactile (Call and Featherstone 45). An individual is with visual learning style if learning is through images and visual representations of ideas, opinions, theories, and knowledge. Visual learning is the first learning style. Visual learners will also easily understand symbols that show the relationship of one idea to another. Key words or key phrases can help make the meanings clearer, but the information should still be outlined with images to help visual learners grasp the information easily. These learners are usually with good visual memory and they retain more information when learning is done through knowledge maps, concept diagrams, tables, charts, and other graphic organizers. They mostly use the eyes to learn (Call and Featherstone 47-8). The second learning style is auditory, which utilizes an individual’s sense of hearing. An individual with auditory learning styles learn better through speaking and listening. They usually do not respond well to written information. They need to hear the information for them to be able to retain it. For example, an auditory learner will easily memorize a phone number by saying it aloud and then memorizing how it sounded. Most of them benefit well in lectures and do well in oral exams and speeches. They mostly use the ears and hearing the lessons will help them retain the knowledge (Call and Featherstone 55-6). The third type of learning style is the tactile learning or kinesthetic learning. Tactile learners learn better when they are physically doing something. They are also considered the doers. According to experts, individuals with this learning style usually learn through discovery or action. They usually act first before learning from that action. They are also good at doing 2 things at the same time. What normally happens is that tactile learners will remember things

Truly Friends In High School Essay Example for Free

Truly Friends In High School Essay High school life is indeed one-of-a-kind experience. Students treasure their best memories throughout their rest life. Students’ emotions were complex when they recall memories of high school life. Memories that contained so many different things, which could let people think about the memories for countless times without any boring feelings. High school moment is the best chance to make friends for students, especially truly friends, which can talk with anything without any doubt. It is also the stage when students started to have new relations with age-mates of both sexes and begin to be mature in mind. Generally speaking, it is the stage where students fall in love for the first time. Love is always an attractive thing among human. Love is precious especially if the feeling is mutual. Love makes people feel enthusiastic, lively and inspired. When students fall in love, everything around them seem to be trivial, students are willing to do anything for the one they love. And most amazing is the first time to hand in hand, to hug, to kiss. Love is beautiful, fascinating, and also harmful. As the same, most students lost their first lover during high school life as well. Because of this, keeping a high school relationship takes a lot of energy and effort. The good thing about this is that we can use the high school love lessons later on in life. Losing lover is one of the reasons why students need truly friends, when split up with a girl or a boy, students need to talk out, truly friends will share the pain, help the upset one go through the hard time.

Linux Versus Windows NT :: essays research papers

Linux versus Windows NT Forget the browser wars. This year's big nerd battle is the server shootout between Linux and Windows NT - and it's not just a bunch of geeks nit-picking. While both offer more affordable platforms for Web service than in the past, Linux and NT are polar opposites on almost every other level. They look different, run differently, support different software, and cost money in different places. So far though, most press coverage of the Linux-NT debate has focused on the competing business models, and there's been little helpful information for deciding which OS to use. At the other end of the coverage spectrum, technical comparisons usually stick to performance tests, churning out reams of numbers from the lab and missing the big picture of owning and operating a Web site. The most obvious difference between NT and Linux is that NT attempts to bring the familiar Windows graphical user interface to a server environment. Ideally, a Webmaster could maintain NT (and its bundled Web server, Microsoft Internet Information Server, aka IIS) primarily by pointing and clicking. NT also comes bundled with a singular set of Microsoft site development tools. Linux, on the other hand, builds from the long, varied tradition of Unix command-line culture. It can be harder (or at least more daunting) to learn Unix from scratch than it is to learn a Windows system, but Unix users who get over the hump of the initial learning curve rarely express happiness over trying to do the same work in a Windows environment. That's the "Windows rage" you observe whenever your local sysadmin (System Administrator) has to get up from his Linux workstation to fix your PC. If there's one area where NT stands out over Linux, it's the willingness of third-party software vendors to develop versions of their software for it. Ad-serving software, search engines, databases, application servers, and e-commerce shopping carts are almost certain to come in NT versions, whereas big-name vendors such as Oracle, Sun, and IBM have just begun to commit to Linux. A Windows NT license costs about $300. A Linux license costs nothing. Not much overhead, but the real costs come later: lost income from downtime or unfixed bugs, high prices for technical employees who make things go, and extra machines and software as the site grows. There's a notable lack of consensus as to whether Linux or NT delivers a lower total cost of ownership.

Sentencing Paper

Sentencing Paper Deadrian Williams CJS/ 200 3/3/2013 Bryan Maglicco Six Forms of Punishment Fines are one of the oldest forms of punishment, the use of fines as criminal sanctions suffers from built in inequities and a widespread failure to collect them (Schmalleger, 2011). Fines can deprive offenders of the proceeds of criminal activity, and also promote rehabilitation by enforcing economic responsibility (Schmalleger, 2011).People have to pay fines when they break minor laws, such as driving while intoxicated, reckless driving, disturbing the peace, public drunkenness, and vandalism (Schmalleger, 2011). Capital punishment is the death penalty. Capital punishment is the most extreme of all sentencing options (Schmalleger, 2011). Capital punishment is sentenced when someone comments a capital offense. In 2008, for example, a twenty eight year old man was sentenced to death in the atrocious murder of a ten year old girl in what authorities said was an elaborate plan to cannibalize the girls flesh (Schmalleger, 2011).Today, the federal government and 35 of the 50 states permit execution for first degree murder, kidnapping, aggravated rape, the murder of a police or corrections officer, or murder while under a life sentence (Schmalleger, 2011). Probation is another form of punishment. Probation means testing the behavior or abilities. In a legal sense, an offender on probation is ordered to follow certain conditions set forth by the court, often under the supervision of a probation officer (Wikipedia, 2013).Offenders are ordinarily required to refrain from firearms, and may be ordered to remain employed, have a curfew, live in a decent place and not leave the jurisdiction (Wikipedia, 2013). Incarceration is another form of punishment. Jails are shorter lock up centers ran by counties and operated by sheriffs (Cliffnotes. com Types of Sentences, 2013). Usually inmates that are in jail are waiting to go to trial who were unable to make bail, people with misdemeanors , and felons who violated probation (Cliffnotes. com Types of Sentences, 2013). Also people re incarcerated in prisons who are convicted felons. Prisons are operated by the state (Cliffnotes. com Types of Sentences, 2013). Community service is another form of punishment. Community service is paying your debt back to society for the wrong doings that a person does, by doing work that benefits the community (Cliffnotes. com Types of Sentences, 2013). People doing community service clean up highways, cut grass, plant trees and flowers, and wash away graffiti. People who are punished with community service have a certain amount of hours they must do to complete the community service order.Failure to complete community service can lead to possibly jail time and more fines. Reducing recidivism Recommendations on how to modify the sentencing process would be to look at the record of the defendant and also the severity of the crime when sentencing. If someone has committed a murder or a rap e, or kidnapping then they should get the severest sentence possible even if it is their first time because those crimes are against people. Families have been destroyed because of what the person did. Good behavior should not play in the sentencing of these offenders.They did not think about the victims when they committed the crime so the courts should not give them a break because of good behavior. If the sentencing process was stricter and focused more on the offender punishment and not what other people would say and feel about the crime then it would be a lot less crimes. References Cliffnotes. com Types of Sentences. (2013, March 4). Retrieved from Cliffnotes. com: http://m. cliffnotes. com Schmalleger, F. (2011). Criminal Justice Today. Prentice Hall. Wikipedia, (2013).

Social Stratification in Modern Capitalist Societies

A. Educational system reproduces systems of social stratification in modern capitalist societies. Analyze this statement by addressing the following questions/topics; 1. What is social stratification? Why are class, caste, gender and ethnicity considered to be systems of stratification? Answer- Social stratification is the division of society into different groups in a pattern of ranking. In simple sentence, social stratification means inequalities between different groups of people. It is division of a large group of society and their unequal access to resources. Our society is divided into many groups by class, caste, gender, ethnicity. It classified the various types of social stratification like upper class, lower class†¦show more content†¦The people who belongs to higher class, they admitted their children in the best school where they gain higher education and also high skills develop in them which has very demand in the market. So they get high level job. But its opposite, the people who belongs to lower class they can not provide higher education to their children then high skill will not develop in them. There is no demand of unskilled people in the market. Thatà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s why they can not get high post in job. Caste- Caste is a social phenomenon in Indian society. There are around 5000 castes in India. These all castes are divided in two groups- the higher and lower caste. Every caste is different from one another. One caste is different from other by their culture and religion. Everyone have their own culture. The higher class discriminate the lower caste. They do not mix them in their group. Untouchability is a main factor of caste which is found in India. If lower people touch the higher people then they feel impure to themselves and take bath again. In our society only Brahman can worship in holy occasion like festival, marriage. Without Brahman these can not complete. We welcome him as a God. 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