I know you have probably heard this said a couple of times since you were born, or maybe you have never heard it. Either way today I want us to reflect on what it really means when they talk about climate change, and more so climate change in relation to our health.

This is where this conversation started; throughout the week as I was going on with my normal morning routine I noticed that as of late, I had been feeling dehydrated all the time and some parts of my skin even had dry patches. I was freaked out a bit, but then again I remembered that my skin usually responds to climate change, like when the seasons change from sunny to rainy, I always have rashes on my skin to announce that, or when the season becomes a bit chill, well trust me to have the flu or sore throat to inform you that the weather has officially changed.

This made it easier for me in this case, to immediately come to a conclusion that my skin was not reacting necessarily because of something I had done or failed to do, but because of the ever-changing climatic conditions. For the record I have a very active nutrition and fitness program going on, that’s how I knew this one wasn’t on me.

Let me just point out that I would not have realized the difference between the weather changing and me being negligent with my body if I was not already attuned to my skin. So the first step of wellness is learning yourself and your body. And this time around the weather seemed a bit more extreme than usual, and honestly speaking the sun of late seems harsher to my body and I was able to quickly pick up on that.

The term climate change, therefore, refers to unexpected, abnormal, and longer-term changes in the Earth’s weather patterns brought on by human activity, this includes greenhouse gas emissions. I got curious about this whole climate change and how it could possibly affect our health and even more curious about how many people knew this. So today I drew up a list of how climate change affects human health and I thought I would just introduce you to it. 

  1. Water related- illnesses

People can become ill if exposed to contaminated drinking or recreational water. Climate change increases the risk of illness through increasing temperature, more frequent heavy rains and runoff, and the effects of storms.

  1. Food safety and nutrition

Climate change and the direct impacts of higher concentrations of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere affect food safety and nutrition. Extreme weather events can also disrupt or slow the distribution of food.

  1. Mental health

Any changes in a person’s physical health or surrounding environment can also have serious impacts on their mental health. In particular, experiencing an extreme weather event can cause stress and other mental health consequences, particularly when a person loses loved ones or their home.

Did you know that individuals with mental illness are especially vulnerable to extreme heat? I didn’t. Studies have found that having a pre-existing mental illness tripled the risk of death during heat waves. People taking medication for mental illness that makes it difficult to regulate their body temperature are particularly at risk.

This is a topic that I happen to be very passionate about and would love to pursue in-depth in the coming weeks so stay connected to The Millenial website for more.

Noanne✨✨✨