Global warming threatens the future and security of humanity and all species struggling to survive the rapidly changing climate. As humans, we are mostly to blame for the increase in greenhouse gas emission that has been trapping excess heat in Earth’s atmosphere and ultimately causing increased temperatures. There are several greenhouse gases that have been influencing the warming climate and most come from “the combustion of fossil fuels in cars, factories, and electricity production” along with deforestation (National Geographic). The most detrimental of these greenhouse gases is carbon dioxide. Others, such as methane, are emitted from landfills and agriculture and nitrous oxide, which are released from fertilizers and refrigeration and industrial processes. As Earth’s atmosphere warms, water vapor increases throughout the atmosphere and creates a positive feedback system

 Microorganisms that cause waterborne disease include include protozoa and bacteria, “many of which are intestinal parasites, or invade the tissues or circulatory system through walls of the digestive tract” (Wikipedia.com). Other waterborne diseases are a result of a viral infection. Our continuing use of these fossil fuels will increase the risk of infection via waterborne diseases throughout North America. In fact, “the effects of global climate change are likely to be most severe” in the Arctic regions of North America (Greer et al., 2008). Climate change is associated with an increased frequency of heavy rainfall events and increased temperature, both of which aid in the growth of harmful bacteria in water sources. Increased frequency of heavy rainfall and extreme weather events are predicted to increase water-borne gastrointestinal and respiratory diseases.  “Human exposure to water-borne infections can occur as a result of contact with contaminated drinking water, recreational water, coastal water, or food. Exposure may be a consequence of human processes (improper disposal of sewage wastes) or weather events. Rainfall patterns can influence the transport and dissemination of infectious agents while temperature can affect their growth and survival” (Patz, 2008). “In the US for the period 1991 to 1998 there were 230 waterborne outbreaks reported affecting an estimated 443,000 people” (Craun et al. 2002). “Of 126 drinking-water outbreaks, 109 were reported in public water systems and 17 in individual water systems. There were also 104 outbreaks associated with recreational water activities, usually swimming” (Hunter, 2003). The World Health Organization estimates that climate changes of the past 30 years already claim over 150,000 lives each year. 

Projected changes in total precipitation from the late twentieth to the late twenty-first centuries, based on middle-of-the-road increases in greenhouse gases: annual (left), winter (center), and summer (right). Source: IPCC, 2007¹

 Trends in mean global temperatures since the mid-19th century. Coloured lines represent the linear trends over various time periods. Shorter (more recent time periods) lines have steeper slopes, indicating an accelerating warming trend for the planet. Reproduced, Copyright 2007 Cambridge University Press.