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WHO on South Asia and Global Warming

-- Adam -- 02/15/2007

A World Health Organization adviser said in an interview for Reuters that South Asia, "home to more than one-sixth of humanity", faces major public heath problems with a warming climate, according to a Reuters piece. Among the potential problems are water-borne diseases, heat stress, and hunger. Shortened glacial melts and some regions becoming more arid are expected to drmatically reduce food crops in many regions. Increases in insect populations, namely mosquitos and ticks, are expected to spread diseases, such as malaria, to more people. Part of the problem is that world leaders can't see past the basic, physical impacts, like sea level or drought, to see the ultimate ramifications for human health. The adviser, Alex Hildebard states, "The link between climate change and human health is still not known even at the highest levels of government. We need to promote awareness on this."