3-3: Global Change and Human Health

Importance of this Unit to the Course

Long-term changes in temperature and humidity at a given location as discussed in Block 2 promote changes in populations of insects, rodents, and other ecosystem components that relate to human health. These impacts will provide basic information on which changes in public policy, as described in the unit on legislation, can be made.

Objectives

To gain an overview of how ecological changes in the global environment impact human health.
To see evidence that humans are a part of the global earth ecosystem (i.e., are not outside the global ecosystem) and are not immune to global change.

Preparation for Discussion (You must complete this section before class.)

Read the summary information. ( Images )

Take the Quiz over the summary information. (see your portfolio)

Review additional reading material (this material is not covered in the quiz, but offers more ideas for online discussion)

Discussion (online / face-to-face) (See your portfolio for due dates and times)

A major component of the course is participation in the online dialog. The following types of comments are required:

Social Comments
Knowledge-building Comments
Ethical Comments

The following may be used as discussion starters for the online dialog:

Unit Problem to Ponder:

Using issues listed in the reading and other sources of information you may have consulted, what are some possible human health effects of global change (climate change or other) for the US Midwest?
Unit exam questions from previous years
Unit discussions from previous years, available from the current online discussion page

Additional Reading