Human activities cause many severe consequences for the climate impacting the whole plant’s ecosystem. An increase in global temperature creates conditions for transmitting infectious diseases such as malaria, fever, and tick-borne encephalitis in areas where they previously could not spread due to weather. Such significant climate and environmental changes are hazardous in terms of affecting human health. The countries’ governments are responsible for addressing the question of climate change in order to prevent the spreading of potentially health-harming conditions. Moreover, maintaining environmental health is a vital task of the environmental policies. The current paper seeks to analyze the impact of climate change on the spreading of disease-carrying insects and propose possible policies plans focused on preventing this problem.
Introduction
Environmental health policies are significant in terms of preventing climate change from affecting the populations of potentially dangerous insects. Initially, the governmental agencies should strive to prevent the changing climate conditions through the control of carbon dioxide emissions. The first act which was created for such aims was the Kyoto Protocol which was supported and signed by many front-line countries (Ospina, 2018). In general, the focus on reducing the greenhouse effect emissions prevents the creation of comfortable conditions for disease-transmitting viruses. The individual policies affecting particular territorial problems should be considered. Addressing the unique issues of the disease-transmitting insects can significantly decrease the range of health-related problems and virus spreading.
Problem Statement
The diseases spreading through the insects are called vector-born. According to empirical research, the occurrence of insect-related diseases increased significantly during the last several decades (Ospina, 2018). Insects, such as mosquitoes, ticks, and fleas, transmit West Nile Virus, dengue fever, Lyme disease, malaria, and even dangerous viruses such as chikungunya and Zika viruses. The environmental investigations showed the correlation between climate change and the increase of disease-spreading insects (Ospina, 2018). The situation negatively affects public health and should be addressed accordingly by governmental policies.
Population Exposed to the Problem
The discussed problem is both global and national in character. It is potentially dangerous for the whole society’s well-being and harmful to public health. As a result, there is no specific population exposed to this issue. It unavoidably affects the health of people of all ages. However, some scientists believe that people with chronic illnesses are more vulnerable to insect-transmitted viruses (Lee & Shrestha, 2020). Considering the fact that most insect-related viruses are transmitted through the air, the situation is dangerous for the whole society.
Governmental Actions to Be Proposed
One of the most vital factors which can contribute to eliminating the problem is the governmental assessment and research on the local and global levels. In order to prevent the spreading of the viruses through insects, the governments should implement policies against the emissions which contribute to the growth of the insects’ populations (Peace, 2020). Environmental research should be held on both local and global levels in order to respond to the problems efficiently. The governmental funding should be allocated to develop the surveillance systems monitoring the possible climate changes and possible insects’ population rise (Peace, 2020). Moreover, the general monitoring of the potentially dangerous species may be implemented. For example, the mosquito populations which can transmit malaria or other viruses should be controlled. Only through the scientific investigation of this issue, the environmental workers can understand how to prevent the virus from spreading or deal with its consequences. Thus, the funding should be allocated not only to the practical climate change preventing activities but to sponsoring the research.
Based on the existing information about the climate change issue, the governments should work on developing the official acts and regulations devoted to climate-change prevention. The law should regulate the question of industrial wastes and potentially dangerous gas emissions. Climate-changing human activities create comfortable conditions for developing vector-borne diseases spreading through insects (Beldade & Rodrogues, 2020). The publicity should support the implementation of the policies (Beldade & Rodrogues, 2020). Government should be able to emphasize the essence of particular environmental acts or regulations. The efficient result in preventing climate change can be achieved through the cooperation of the government and the public.
Impact on Healthcare Sector
The policies in the discussed area directly improve the quality of public health in two ways. First, the dangerous virus spreading is prevented. Second, the global climate-change problem is solved by minimizing harmful emissions. As a result, through research, information gathering, collaboration with the public, and legal regulations, the consequences of global warming can be reduced (Shetty, n.d.). The health-related risks of climate change can be reduced thanks to the mentioned actions.
Conclusion
The current climate change causes problems with the disease-spreading insects’ population. A significant increase in the temperatures in different regions contributes to the rise in such species as mosquitos. As a result, the public health issue may arise. In order to address this question, the governments should first sponsor a scientific investigation of this question. It is vital to empower the designing of the policies related to the reduction of potentially dangerous emissions and wastes correlated with the factories and other industrial productions. Through such actions, the governments can secure and enhance public health.
References
Beldade, P., & Rodrogues, Y. (2020). Thermal plasticity in insects’ response to climate change and to multifactorial environments. Frontier Ecological Evolution, 18, 271–283.
Lee, Y., & Shrestha, B. (2020). Cellular and molecular mechanisms of DEET toxicity and disease-carrying insect vectors: A review. Genes & Genomics, 42, 1131–1144.
Ospina, O. (2018). Beyond environmental change: How climate change affects public health.The Climate Institut, 400, 1–11.
Peace, N. (2020). Impact of climate change on insects, pest, diseases and animal biodiversity. International Journal of Environmental Science & Natural Resources, 23(5), 103–108.
Shetty, P. (n.d.) Climate change and insect-borne disease: Facts and figures.