Research- Covid19 and Climate change

Between China and USA

Thousands of news articles, talking heads, and contradictory and conflicting guidelines on the extent of health disaster.

In January 2020, China alerted major international scientific bodies about the eruption of a dangerous new virus and heavily promoted basic precautions. U.S. politicians and corporate media ridiculed and ignored the warnings.Washington ramped up its policy of racist propaganda, military encirclement, trade war and sanctions. The consequence, tens of thousands of COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. – the highest in the world.Rather than global cooperation on testing, vaccine development and PPE supplies, the U.S. chose competition, profits and military build-up.Even with fewer resources, socialist countries, including Cuba and Vietnam, using people’s mobilizations, were better prepared to protect their populations. Their death rates are among the lowest. (Capitalism on the ventilator book)

Financialization has altered the behaviour of non-financial corporations. It prioritizes value extraction over value creation to maximize shareholder value. It sees innovation as a means to generate wealth, not to respond to people’s health needs; it does not see health innovation as a way to facilitate the emergence and diffusion of higher-quality products at competitive cost (Mazzucato and Roy 2019). This has fundamentally reshaped the pharmaceutical industry from one characterized by multiple vertically-integrated firms, including everything from in-house R&D to clinical trials, to one that features far fewer firms that are horizontally integrated and expand largely through mergers and acquisitions (Gleadle et al. 2014; Busfield 2020). William Lazonick points out that in 2018 Merck and Pfizer grew large by acquiring blockbuster drugs developed by other companies, and then ‘milking them for revenues over their remaining patent lives’ (Lazonick 2018). Pharmaceutical executives’ compensation is based on the price of company shares, so they have every incentive to boost it. They do this by buying back shares of their own stock on the open market, which became legal in 1982. For instance, in 2016 John C. Martin, CEO of Gilead Sciences earned $98.4 million, of which 96% was stock-based pay (Tulum and Lazonick, 2018: 294–5). In just 3 years, 2017, 2018, and 2019 pharmaceutical firms spent $28.6 billion on stock buybacks and just $10 billion on R&D (testimony of US House Representative Katie Porter, discussed in Wilkins 2020).Economic globalization has reduced the power of labour and has accelerated an increase in ‘labour flexibility’ that translates into precarious employment. Post-the 2007–2008 global financial crisis, austerity programs, cuts in social spending and labour market transformation have had negative effects on health outcomes and health equity. (ncbi)

In recent decades, a new branch of climate research has emerged that attempts to define the link between human activities and extreme weather events such as floods, heat waves, droughts, and snowstorms. According to climate journalism site Carbon Brief, scientists concluded in 68% of the more than 230 extreme weather events they studied that human-caused climate change increased the likelihood or severity of the event.

New York/Geneva - Climate change has not stopped for COVID19. Greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere are at record levels and continue to increase. Emissions are heading in the direction of pre-pandemic levels following a temporary decline caused by the lockdown and economic slowdown. The world is set to see its warmest five years on record – in a trend which is likely to continue - and is not on track to meet agreed targets to keep global temperature increase well below 2 °C or at 1.5 °C above pre-industrial levels.
The annual average temperature in the United States has increased by 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit over the past 115 years and is expected to rise an additional 2.5 degrees by 2050, according to the U.S. Global Change Research Program.
Global warming has led to rising sea levels and increased evaporation, ultimately leading to increased precipitation. Last year, heavy rainfalls along the Illinois, Missouri, Arkansas, and Mississippi River corridors have led to substantial flooding throughout the Midwest, leading to substantial property damage and dozens of deaths.
This has led to increased drought, more frequent wildfires, and other consequences that will become increasingly difficult to prevent.
Areas with already extreme climates tend to be more susceptible to climate change and even more extreme weather events. The Southwestern United States, for example — the driest and hottest part of the country is getting hotter and drier, leading to increased drought and wildfires.
Climate change is already transforming crop production worldwide, and studies indicate that predicted changes in climate will have a severe impact on crop yields and food security in the future. As crops suffer from higher temperatures, changes in precipitation patterns, and severe weather events, the availability, cost, safety, and quality of food supplies are all likely to suffer.

Western United States
After historic amounts of rain fell in the winter of 2016-17 and snowpack levels rose, much of the western United States experienced an early spring melt, leading to increased risk of flooding and dangerous fluctuations in river flow. The faster snowmelt is partially the result of warmer temperatures earlier in the year, causing spring conditions to arrive as many as 20 days earlier than normal in some parts of the country. Scientists say because of human-caused climate change, spring is beginning about 2.5 days earlier every decade on average.

South Florida
According to the NOAA, the maximum daily water levels in South Florida during king tides, the highest tides of the year, have increased since 1994. Many scientists have concluded that rising king tides are a direct result of human-caused climate change, and can increase the risk of tidal flooding in coastal areas. One study published in the June 2016 edition of the peer-reviewed journal Ocean & Coastal Management found that the frequency of tide-induced flooding events in Miami Beach has increased by more than 400% since 2006.

Pacific Northwest: Coast of Washington State
According to the EPA, flood events have increased in frequency throughout much of the Pacific Northwest since 1965. The surge in flood activity forced the Hoh, a Native American tribe once based at the mouth of the Hoh River, to move its reservation to higher ground.

Southwest: Colorado, Utah
Snowpack in the western states was dramatically lower in the winter of 2017-18. By mid-February, statewide snowfall had fallen to 49% of normal in Utah, and 85% below average in Colorado. According to the National Climate Assessment, the reduced snow levels are part of a larger trend of declining winter snowpack throughout the southwestern United States over the last 50 years, due largely to warmer temperatures that cause precipitation to fall as rain rather than snow and cause existing snowpack to melt earlier in the year.

Arizona: Phoenix
According to the National Weather Service, temperatures in Phoenix averaged 77.3 degrees in 2017 — the hottest year on record. Phoenix is one of the fastest-warming cities in the country, and in 2018 there were a record 182 heat-related deaths confirmed in Phoenix and surrounding Maricopa County, the third consecutive year the death toll has reached a record high.Arctic Ocean: Alaska

In 2016, the Bering Sea and Gulf of Alaska experienced their most intense marine heat wave — defined as periods of at least five days during which sea surface temperatures are extremely high for the region — since at least 1982, when satellite temperature records began. According to the American Meteorological Society, human-induced climate change increased the chance of such an extreme weather event occurring by as much as 50 times.Central Pacific: Near Hawaii

During the 2015-16 El Niño, the central equatorial Pacific experienced record-setting sea surface temperatures. According to the American Meteorological Society, the temperature anomalies were unprecedented and unlikely to have occurred naturally and are therefore likely the result of human-induced climate change. The thermal stress caused damage to the coral reef and seabird communities in the area.East Coast: Boston to Philadelphia

In 2018, cities in the eastern and central parts of the United States — major coastal cities like Boston, New York, and Philadelphia, as well as Pittsburgh and Cincinnati — all recorded temperatures in the 70s on Feb. 20 or 21, each setting an all-time high for single-day temperature in the month of February.Southwest: Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico

Severe to exceptional drought conditions proliferated in the American Southwest at the beginning of spring. Fish in the Rio Grande had to be relocated, and farmers along the Middle Rio Grande in New Mexico were told to expect half their irrigation allotment. The drought contributed to an abnormally intense fire season in northwestern Colorado and led to the first ever rationing of water usage along the Yampa River Valley in the basin’s history, as well as other serious impacts on people, agriculture, and wildlife in the area.Mid-Atlantic: Virginia to New York

A slow-moving colossal blizzard in January 2016 dumped up to 3 feet of snow from Virginia to New York, causing around $1 billion in damage and the deaths of 55 people. According to the Regional Snowfall Index, the blizzard was the fourth largest Northeast storm since 1900. Some scientists say the blizzard is an example of human-caused climate change because it was an extreme weather event.Southwest: Colorado, Utah

Snowpack in the western states was dramatically lower in the winter of 2017-18. By mid-February, statewide snowfall had fallen to 49% of normal in Utah, and 85% below average in Colorado. According to the National Climate Assessment, the reduced snow levels are part of a larger trend of declining winter snowpack throughout the southwestern United States over the last 50 years, due largely to warmer temperatures that cause precipitation to fall as rain rather than snow and cause existing snowpack to melt earlier in the year.

Snow drought can lead to reduced water availability in the summer and have negative impacts on economies that rely on outdoor tourism and recreation. Snow drought can also have other impacts on people, agriculture, and wildlife.

Alaska
The significant increase in wildfire activity in Alaska in recent decades is associated with manmade and natural factors. In 2015, wildfires burned through 5.1 million acres across the state, the second worst fire season since record keeping began in 1940. According to a report published by the American Meteorological Society in December 2016, human-induced climate change may have increased the risk of such a severe fire season in Alaska by 34% to 60%.

Crops suffering from temperature increases, flooding, and sea level rise can be managed differently or moved to higher ground or to lands more conducive to successful crop production. Flooding, temperature extremes, fluctuations in precipitation, and extreme weather are already taking their toll, and will get worse, posing an existential threat to these regions. Jobs and economic vitality will be lost, food supplies will diminish, and, for many, the cost of adaptation will be prohibitive.Growers and scientists are also having some success in modifying the genetic makeup of some crops, making them more resilient to extreme weather events and climate changes. And the most vulnerable crops can in some cases be replaced with more resilient crops that offer equivalent nutritional and economic value.
Rice
Half of the world’s population relies on rice for food security, and that security is threatened by climate change, particularly in tropical regions. Land and water resources required for rice production will be affected by rising temperatures, rainfall fluctuation, and rising sea levels, the risks of which include tidal waves and salinization. Global climate change is already credited with a reduction in worldwide rice production and yields, documented over the years 1974 and 2008.
Oats
As with many commodity crops, oat crops can be damaged by extreme weather events, and yields are likely to decline as temperatures rise. There is also some evidence that stress from higher temperatures, atmospheric carbon dioxide, and low level drought conditions might lead to contamination of oat crops, specifically by mycotoxins associated with a fungus called Fusarium langsethiae, which render oats inedible.
Coffee
Coffee production, which provides jobs for 100 million people around the world, is highly vulnerable to climate change. Because of the narrow genetic makeup of coffee beans, and thus their narrow climate sensitivity, and because coffee plantations have a 30 to 50 year lifespan, coffee production is difficult and slow to adaptation.

Studies indicate that coffee production may suffer in many regions of the world, particularly Brazil and Vietnam. Further, the few areas where land could become suitable for coffee production, mainly East Africa and some Asian island states, could not make up for the likely loss of suitable land for coffee growing, amounting to a reduction of about 50% of the currently available land by 2050.
Corn
Corn is the world’s largest crop in terms of both production and trade, but by the end of the century, climate change could reduce U.S. corn production by half. It could also greatly increase the chances that the four biggest corn exporters — the United States, Brazil, Argentina, and Ukraine — will experience simultaneous corn yield losses of 10% or more. As temperatures rise, it is expected that corn yields will decline by 7.4% worldwide for every 1 degree Celsius increase in average temperature. Yields have already been significantly reduced throughout Europe, Africa, and the pacific islands, with some minor increases in the Americas and Asia.
Oranges
As for most crops, threats from climate change on orange production depend on regional conditions. In the Mediterranean, for example, the production and quality of citrus fruit is expected to decline because of increases in temperatures and reduced precipitation. In Florida, where yields have been significantly below USDA predictions, orange crops will suffer from extreme weather events and weather fluctuations.
Wine grapes
The effect of climate change on wine grape will depend on how strictly growers will continue to adhere to the concept of terroir, which means a wine flavor reflects the local geography and the unique types of grapes fit to grow in that particular wine region. Because historic wine making regions have traditionally grown specific grape varieties, climate change will be extremely disruptive as terroir changes with temperature and rainfall fluctuations. Because of the great diversity in wine grape varieties, wine growers who are willing to let go of traditional and beloved varietals and experiment with others that are more likely to survive.
Cotton
Climate change impacts on cotton will vary greatly between growing regions.
Cotton is heat-resistant and will benefit from increased temperatures in many parts of the world, including India, parts of Turkey and China, and the American Southeast. But other threats loom: pests, disease, water availability, and extreme weather. In particular, cotton production is threatened by reduced rainfall in China, Australia, Pakistan, and the American West.
Wheat
Wheat production is highly susceptible to climate change. A recent study from Kansas State University concluded that, overall, worldwide yields will decrease by 6% for each degree Celsius increase in global average temperatures, and projected a 25% decline in wheat production over the coming decades due to extreme weather. Already there are impacts, with an approximate 1% drop in production in North and Central America, and a 2.5% to 6% drop in Europe attributed to climate change. At the same time, highlighting the variability of climate impacts, warming has increased production in North Africa by 12% and in eastern and central Asia by 4.5%.
Bananas
Bananas, the world’s most important fruit crop from both a food source and economic perspective, have benefited from improved growing conditions attributed to climate change, with the 27 countries providing 86% of the world’s dessert bananas showing increased yields beginning in 1961. But a recent study from the University of Exeter predicts that this will change. By 2050, the positive impacts of climate change will begin to decline, and 10 of the largest banana-growing countries will experience declines in yield, including India, Brazil, Columbia, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Panama, and the Philippines.
Walnuts
The United States is the second largest producer of walnuts, after China, and nearly 100% of U.S. walnut production is in California. A recent study of climate impacts on major California crops found that walnuts are the most vulnerable tree nut crop to rising temperatures. Walnuts require 400 to 1,500 of chill hours in the winter, depending on the variety, to stimulate spring growth. The study found that the number of chill hours has fallen by 2 a year over the past 105 years and continues to decline, threatening future drop yields. It is expected that walnut production will decline by 3% by 2050.Olives

Despite their relative drought tolerance, olives are seriously threatened by changes in climate, primarily rising temperatures and lack of heavy rain required for crop development.
In a primary growing area in Catalonia, Spain, researchers predict an end to olive oil production within 20 years. In Italy, extreme weather already resulted in a 57% drop in olive yields in 2018. And, in Israel there was a 17% drop that year. Worldwide, there was a 20% decline in olive production in the winter following the overheated summer of 2017.Barley

A British climate change economist with an interest in attracting attention to global warming studied the likely climate change impacts on barley and the resulting implications for beer production and costs. The research team analyzed the chances of major droughts and heat waves in areas where barley is grown and concluded that total barley yields would be reduced by 3% to 17% by 2099.
According to the analysis, beer prices will be rising throughout the world, tripling in Ireland by the century’s end. Other studies show that climate change is already impacting barley production, with yields and production declining in the Pacific Islands, Africa, and, most notably, Europe.
Rice
Half of the world’s population relies on rice for food security, and that security is threatened by climate change, particularly in tropical regions. Land and water resources required for rice production will be affected.

Till now there’s no direct evidence shows that climate change is influencing the spread of COVID-19, but what is clearly known that climate change is becoming a major problem that effects the Earth especially life and health that puts the world into risky situations.

UNESCO:

The COVID-19 pandemic has produced significant impacts on the global observing systems, which in turn have affected the quality of forecasts and other weather, climate and ocean-related services.

The reduction of aircraft-based observations by an average of 75% to 80% in March and April degraded the forecast skills of weather models. Since June, there has been only a slight recovery. Observations at manually operated weather stations, especially in Africa and South America, have also been badly disrupted.

Heat and heatwave exposure can often be fatal for older populations, owing to a range of factors, including a higher prevalence of chronic disease and medication use, and an impaired physiological and behavioural response.

The newly published 2020 report includes novel indicators on heat-related mortality, migration and population displacement, urban green spaces, low-carbon diets, and the economic costs of labour capacity loss due to extreme heat. The breadth of the indicators has deepened scientific understanding of how climate affects health and puts stress on health systems. The climate emergency and COVID-19, a zoonotic disease, are both borne of human activity that has led to environmental degradation. Neither the climate emergency nor a zoonotic pandemic were unexpected. Both have led to the preventable loss of lives through actions that are delayed, insufficient, or mistaken. However, aligning responses presents an opportunity to improve public health, create a sustainable economic future, and better protect the planet’s remaining natural resources and biodiversity.

There is a clear need for adaptation to the effects of climate change today, and those expected in the future. Climate change interacts with each of the social and environmental determinants of good health, affecting lives and livelihoods through a myriad of different pathways.