Are We Really Listening to What Our Planet is Telling Us? Did you know that the environmental changes happening RIGHT NOW are breaking all records?

Climate change affects human health in many ways, both directly (through more heat and storms) and indirectly (through food, water, air, and disease). Carbon dioxide (CO₂) is the major greenhouse gas contributing to climate change. Human activities (burning coal, oil, gas as well as deforestation) cause an increase in (CO₂) released to the environment. Greenhouse gases like (CO₂) trap part of heat coming from the sun preventing it to escape into space but in contrast cause an increase in heat waves observed in our planet. In 2025, nearly all land areas are seeing (or saw) more hot days and started to observe extreme natural events. According to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)’s report released in 2024, average temperature of has risen about 1.5 degrees Celsius since global records began in 1850 and this number might be event higher in 2025 (1). Rising temperatures increase the moisture the atmosphere can hold resulting in more extreme natural events but at the same time increase dryness as more water evaporates at higher temperatures thus causing both water-related hazards and water scarcity. For example, we started to observe more diarrhea related illnesses due to unsafe freshwater as well as water outages in some cities to control water scarcity.For example, over 178,000 cholera cases were recorded in Eastern and Southern Africa within the last 15 months (2) and residents of Izmir are experiencing water outages at nights since 6th of August (2025) (3).  With increased temperatures, we also started to observe more melting events in glaciers resulting in global rises in sea level which pose a risk especially for Low-lying regions, islands, and coastal cities. Accordingly, people living in coastal areas may lose their home and work in the near future.  According to a report released by NASA; in 2024, global sea level rose about 0.59 cm, higher than predicted (4). Some islands like parts of the Maldives are already being lost or becoming uninhabitable due to coastal erosion and flooding (5). Due to changes in water cycle and its effects on ecosystems, crop yields and frequency of human diseases are also affected. Most people (80%) and dairy animals use plant-based diets. In addition, the quality and level of fish and meat products we eat are also affected from the change in water cycle and damaged ecosystems. For example, a study found that intensifying heat and dry air has reduced yields of the world’s five major crops (wheat, maize, barley, etc.) by 4-13% over the past 50 years (6). In the North-East Atlantic, warming seas and marine heatwaves are harming populations of pelagic fish (e.g. mackerel, herring, blue whiting) which rely on cooler waters for spawning (7). In Vermont/USA, a prolonged drought has reduced feed production, causing farmers to purchase expensive feed leading to lower milk yield per cow as the animals can’t graze/feed as before (8). Lastly, due to damaged ecosystems, the frequency of heat and water scarcity related diseases, as well as infectious, allergy related and neurological diseases also started to rise. For example, more people experienced spring allergy symptoms this year (9) and a new study showed that more and more Alzheimer’s Disease cases are associated with increased air pollution (10). Thus, governments need to take more serious precautions against climate change before it is too late. All resources are listed below in order:

1.      https://www.climate.gov/news-features/understanding-climate/climate-change-global-temperature

2.      https://www.unicef.org/esa/press-releases/esa-records-over-178000-cholera-cases-over-15-months

3.      https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/izmir-expands-water-cuts-as-reservoirs-dry-up-212207

4.      https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasa-analysis-shows-unexpected-amount-of-sea-level-rise-in-2024

5.      https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/travel/destinations/5-islands-that-are-disappearing-visit-before-theyre-gone/photostory/

6.      https://news.stanford.edu/stories/2025/05/global-crop-yields-climate-change-research

7.      https://www.msc.org/media-centre/press-releases/press-release/warming-seas-in-north-east-atlantic-could-harm-key-fish-stocks

8.      https://apnews.com/article/general-news-agriculture-droughts-weather-vermont-09348c58b4e6f6fe62eb044804a6aadf

9.      https://www.healthline.com/health-news/spring-allergy-season-2025

10.   https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaneurology/article-abstract/2838665

Perhaps part of the problem is evident in the structure of the question. How is this “our” planet? Who are the “we” in “our”? Why imagine the planet is telling us anything? What part of the planet could be concerned with goings-on in its surface micro layers, much less inclined to message them? Is “the environment” anything other than the set of “not me” phenomena? With all that in mind, relatively few humans are directly responsible for the decisions that generate the kind of changes I imagine you’re alluding to. Most just go with the flow and cope with their environments to the extents possible and necessary to get them through the day. Am I aware of change(s)? Absolutely. I’ve been paying close attention to them for over half a century, and writing and teaching about them. Bonus question: Do I think knowledge is power in this context? Hardly. 

The global chronic disease epidemic has escalated with the increase in the number of individuals with obesity, diabetes, NAFLD and neurodegenerative diseases. A number of countries need to listen to various guidelines to prevent xenobiotic contamination of food, air and water. The environmental changes that need to break all records is a reduction in the xenobiotic content in the air, food and water. The implementation of these guidelines need be documented in various countries with the reduction in xenobiotic levels associated with a lower incidence of NAFLD and diabetes in global populations.

RELEVANT REFERENCES:

1.      Increased Risk for Obesity and Diabetes with Neurodegeneration in Developing Countries. Top 10 Contribution on Genetics. Chapter 1, EBook. 2018. www.avid.science.com

2.      Single Gene Inactivation with Implications to Diabetes and Multiple Organ Dysfunction Syndrome. J Clin Epigenet. 2017;Vol. 3 No. 3:24.

3.      Insulin Therapy and Autoimmune Disease with Relevance to Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease. Non Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease. An Update. IntechOpen. 2018.