Sunday, January 25, 2009

Global Warming as an Anthropogenic Factor

As a top environmental issue, global warming has been correlated to large amounts of illness and death in the United States and Canada. One factor that contributes to this is the spread of infectious disease, including Lyme disease. Ticks are being found much further north of their established habitat, since they are now able to survive in areas that were previously too cold for them. Scientists predict that tick-infested regions will stretch up to 200 kilometers north by the 2020s and 1000 kilometers by the 2080s. Other diseases are also making their way to previously uninhabitable areas via mosquitoes and pollen. There is also an increased risk of spreading disease due to rainfall after water contamination.

Details can be found here:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2007/04/17/MNGFCP9UL41.DTL

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