According to recent research published in the British medical journal The Lancet Wednesday (November 25), cutting greenhouse pollutants could not only save the planet from drastic climate change but could also greatly affect our health in a positive way. The studies linking climate change and health show that reducing carbon dioxide emissions from our atmosphere could greatly reduce preventable deaths from heart and lung diseases.
The studies performed looked at confronting climate change in four areas: electricity generation, household energy use, transportation, and food and agriculture. Each study looks at both high- and low-income nations and the health implications of reducing greenhouse gases from fossil fuels. Major amounts of carbon emissions are due to both transportation and from the burning of solid fuel in the household stoves of poorer countries (that burn dung, charcoal, wood and other polluting fuels) to cook and heat their homes. Carbon emissions cause air pollution because it increases ground-level ozone, thus accumulating fine particulate matter that could lead to lung disease.
This article appears in Nov 25 – Dec 1, 2009.