Study Buddy (Challenger): How climate change makes lung problems worse for the young, old and vulnerable
- Respiratory health experts are calling for lower limits on air pollution, as a report reveals that people with breathing problems face higher risks from climate change
- This page is for students who want to take their reading comprehension to the next level with difficult vocabulary and questions to test their inference skills
Higher temperatures lead to an increase in airborne allergens, such as pollen. Photo: ShutterstockContent provided by British Council
Read the following text, and answer questions 1-9 below:
[1] Respiratory health experts are calling urgently for lower limits on air pollution, as a report reveals that people with lung conditions including asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) face heightened risks from climate change. The expert report, published in the European Respiratory Journal, compiles evidence detailing how the effects of climate change will intensify breathing difficulties for millions globally, and have a particularly severe impact on babies, young children, and the elderly.
[2] The authors, on behalf of the European Respiratory Society, which represents more than 30,000 lung specialists from 160 countries, are calling on the European Parliament and governments around the world to urgently reduce greenhouse gas emissions and mitigate effects of climate change.
[3] “Climate change affects everyone’s health, but arguably, respiratory patients are among the most vulnerable. These are people who already experience breathing difficulties and they are far more sensitive to our changing climate,” said Zorana Jovanovic Andersen, professor of environmental epidemiology at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark, who was an author of the report. “Their symptoms will become worse, and for some, this will be fatal. Air pollution is already damaging our lungs. Now, the effects of climate change are becoming a major threat to respiratory patients.”
[4] According to the report, these effects include higher temperatures and a subsequent increase in airborne allergens, such as pollen. They also include more frequent extreme weather events such as heatwaves, droughts and wildfires, leading to episodes of extreme air pollution and dust storms, as well as heavy rainfall and flooding, leading to higher humidity and mould in the home.
[5] The World Health Organization (WHO) has previously warned that nearly every person on Earth breathes air that fails to meet its quality standards. This can lead to respiratory and blood-flow problems and millions of preventable deaths each year. The regions with the poorest air quality, according to WHO, are the Eastern Mediterranean, Southeast Asia, and Africa. COPD, which causes airflow blockage and breathing problems that significantly limit daily activities, is the fourth leading cause of death in the United States, and the third worldwide.
[6] Dr Sharenja Ratnakumar – a researcher at UK NGO Breathing Matters, which raises awareness and knowledge of pulmonary fibrosis and lung infections – said the European report, and similar studies, had a sense of foreboding.
[7] “Although there are many confounding factors to health outcomes, the impact of climate change is becoming more apparent,” she said. Large studies on climate change and air pollution have shown convincing links between them and the progression and outcomes of respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, and cancer.
[8] “We all need to breathe clean, safe air. That means we need action from policymakers to mitigate impacts of climate change on our planet and our health,” Andersen explained.
Source: South China Morning Post, September 26
Questions
1. Which groups of people mentioned in paragraph 1 are most vulnerable to breathing problems resulting from climate change?
2. Find a word in paragraph 2 that means “to make something less harmful or serious”.
3. The purpose of paragraph 3 is to ...
A. describe symptoms of patients with acute respiratory illness.
B. urge policymakers to take action to reduce air pollution levels.
C. highlight the vulnerability of respiratory patients to the effects of climate change.
D. none of the above
4. What does paragraph 4 describe?
5. How widespread is air pollution according to paragraph 5?
6. What are the symptoms of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in paragraph 5?
7. Which word is Ratnakumar most likely to use to describe the reports mentioned in paragraph 6?
A. encouraging
B. complex
C. worrying
D. convincing
8. According to Ratnakumar, there is ______ relationship between climate change and human health.
A. a direct
B. an inverse
C. a weak
D. a special
9. Name two sections of a newspaper where you might find this article. (2 marks)
Answers
1. babies, young children, and the elderly
2. mitigate
3. C
4. It describes the different effects of climate change and how it can affect people’s health and their homes. (accept other reasonable answers)
5. Nearly every person on Earth breathes air that fails to meet the WHO’s quality standards.
6. airflow blockage and breathing problems that significantly limit daily activities
7. C
8. A
9. health and wellness / climate change / science / environment (accept other reasonable answers)