Assessment of Global Warming/Climate Change Impacts on Environment, Human Health, Land Use and Management in the West Coast Region in the Gambia, West Africa
Climate change is one of the most significant environmental issues facing humanity in the twenty-first century. Human activities that raise greenhouse gas emissions are the primary causes of climate change, resulting in major consequences like increased temperatures, extreme weather, and sea level rise. Rapid action is required to mitigate these effects and get ready for them. The study objective was to assess threats posed by changes in climate to the environment and the health of the public. A comprehensive analysis is provided on how climate change impacts the environment, human health, land use and management, food distribution, and agricultural productivity. These challenges are exacerbated in West Africa due to the region’s high susceptibility to the consequences of change in climate. Prolonged environmental pollution over a period of time of approximately ten decades has significantly contributed to potential global warming. In The Gambia, it is essential to increase public knowledge of the harmful impact that persistent pollutants, especially gaseous particulate matter, have on humans and the environment. Air pollutants contribute to ozone layer depletion and contamination of hydrological resources. Standardized air quality monitoring equipment was used for weekly data collection, measuring various air pollution parameters. A statistical analysis of central tendency and dispersion was conducted using a Casio scientific calculator (model FX-991MS) to categorize and standardize pollutant levels. Pollutants were classified into categories based on the concentration levels indicated in terms of colors seen on the air quality meter screen to enable one to assess their impacts on human health, climate, and the environment. Results gotten from this study indicated that carbon monoxide (CO) had the highest mean concentration value of 348.04 ± 19.98 μg∙m−3, which is classified as hazardous in Category 6, having maroon coloration, followed by particulate matter (PM10) with a mean concentration value of 230.72 ± 38.26 μg∙m−3 found in Category 5, with purple color, indicating unhealthy health conditions. Ozone (O3), ammonia (NH3), and particulate matter (PM2.5) were all recorded with mean concentration values of 128.08 ± 9.37 μg∙m−3, 126.91 μg∙m−3, and 131.38 ± 39.78 μg∙m−3 respectively. All of them were found in Category 3 having orange colors, which signifies health risks to some sensitive groups of people.
Cite this paper
Oyareme, V. and Osaji, E. I. (2025). Assessment of Global Warming/Climate Change Impacts on Environment, Human Health, Land Use and Management in the West Coast Region in the Gambia, West Africa. Open Access Library Journal, 12, e14478. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.4236/oalib.1114478.
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