Impact of Climate Change on Human Health and Well-Being Dr. A. Karim Ahmed Director of International Program National Council for Science and the Environment Washington, DC Khwarizmi Science Society Lahore College for Women University Lahore, Pakistan March 29, 2012

Climate Change and Public Health Giving it a Human Face!

Magnitude of Health Impacts of Climate Change: 4th Assessment Report (IPCC, 2007)

WHO Estimated Mortality Attributable to Climate Change (~ 150,000 / year)

Glacier Melting in the Himalayas – Basic Information (UNEP, 2007) Glaciers occupy 85,000 square kilometers of the Himalayan Mountains There are 15,000 glaciers and 9,000 glacial lakes in the Himalayan Mountain range stretching 2,500 kilometers across Bhutan, Nepal, Pakistan, India and China The Himalayan Mountain range feeds water to 9 perennial river systems, including the Indus, Ganga and Brahmaputra rivers that provides lifeline to nearly 1.3 billion people Himalayan glaciers are shrinking at an average of 10 – 60 meters annually. In Bhutan, the Luggye Glacier has retreated by 160 meters yearly from 1988 to 1993. In Nepal, in the Dudh Koshi sub-basin, glaciers have retreated by 10 – 59 meters per year.

Snow Cover Changes in the Hindu Kush, Himalayan & Tibetan Highland Region (2002 – 2010) Earth Satellite Monitoring Data Ref: ICIMOD, 2011

Indus River Basin Flooding, 2010 & 2011…

Pakistan Flooding / Russian Heat-wave The Toll in 2010 Pakistan: Over 307,000 sq miles flooded; 20 million people affected, with 2000 deaths Russia: Heatwaves & wildfires caused 56,000 deaths; $15 billion estimated damage Shahdadkot, Sindh Province 300 Russian wild-fires, 2010 Baldin District, Sindh, Sept 2011