Impact of Environmental Pollution and Climate Change on Wellness

Running head: WELLNESS
Wellness
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Author’s note

1WELLNESS
A. Description of the issue related to wellness:
Exposure to environmental pollution is a global issue as it is the main cause behind
poor health and poor subjective well being. One example of global environmental problem
includes global climate change that increases heat related morbidity and mortality,
respiratory illness and vector borne disease like dengue fever and malaria. The main link
between climate change and mental health is that issues like rising sea level and draught
disrupt food, change agricultural conditions and habit, result in financial stress. This
increases risk of violence and aggression (Hayes et al., 2018). Clean air is a basic
requirement for all human being and burning of fossil fuels such as coal and diesel
increase the concentration of air pollutant and lead to adverse health effect such as
breathing difficulty and respiratory problems. According to WHO, exposure to outdoor air
pollution is the cause of death for three million people (Darçın, 2017). Hence, as
environmental pollution increased the risk of global burden of disease from diagnosis of
respiratory infection, heart disease and lung cancer, it can be concluded that this issue has
significant impact on well being and quality of life of people.
B. Target population of the issue
Although the entire global population is affected by climate change and environmental
pollution, however the most vulnerable population group includes elderly people and the
vulnerable groups like disadvantaged groups living in poverty and those with pre-existing
diseases like asthma and diabetes. Elderly people are most likely to be affected by the
issue because they account for highest proportion of mortality from extreme weather
conditions. Elderly people are disproportionately affected by direct climate change effects
like heat waves, cold waves and natural disaster and indirect effect like increase in
aeroallergen, diminished air quality and socioeconomic effects like food and economic