Decided to do the rest on docs for more room.

“Who”
Who does the problem affect? Specific groups, individuals, organizations,
etc. Determine a single individual that you can identify and tell their story

at the landfill, the food and yard waste that trash contains is decomposing and releasing carbon
dioxide and methane, a greenhouse gas that’s 28 times more potent than carbon dioxide.
Landfill gas also contributes to smog and worsening health problems, especially asthma.
Trends in the incidence of childhood asthma worldwide have paralleled the sharp increase in
carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, over at least the last two decades. The prevalence of asthma
in the United States has quadrupled over the last 20 years in part due to climate-related factors.
In a report released by Harvard Medical School and the Center for Health and the Global
Environment, it was noted that there was an increase in asthma incidence of 160% from
1980–1994 among preschool children. This observation was linked to the global rise in CO2
emissions, which in turn affects respiratory exposure to a variety of atmospheric pollens, mold,
and fungi. While asthma is associated with genetic predisposition, the changing environment
and air pollution are major contributory factors in the pathogenesis of the disease, and may help
explain the rapid change in the incidence of asthma over the last few decades. Even though the
actual amount of CO2 in the atmosphere is minute, greenhouse gases are very effective in
forming a blanket that prevents heat from escaping the earth’s atmosphere.

Dr Charles Keeling’s research laboratory at Mauna Loa on the Big Island of Hawaii records the
amount of CO2 in the atmosphere, adjusted annually for seasonal variations. Analysis of
ancient air bubbles trapped by glaciers reveals that the amount of CO2 consistently varied
between 200 to 300 parts per million (ppm) for over 80,000 years.

Since 1960, for the first time in the known history of the earth, CO2 emissions exceeded 300
ppm. In 1980, the levels approached 350 ppm, and have been increasing relatively rapidly ever
since, according to the Keeling curve. In turn, global temperatures fluctuate in a pattern that is
closely associated with the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere

The parallel trends in the global incidence of asthma and the rise in CO2 emissions are
remarkable. As atmospheric CO2 levels have risen and global temperature fluctuations have
increased, so has the incidence of childhood asthma. According to one CDC-based survey, the
number of children under 17 years of age with asthma increased from almost 40 to 60 per 1000
from 1980 to 1993.. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 300 million people
worldwide currently have asthma, including 6.2 million children in the US.
“What”
What are the boundaries of the problem, e.g. organizational, workflow, geographic,
economic, segments, etc. - What is the issue? - What is the impact of the issue? - What
impact is the issue causing? - What will happen when it is fixed? - What would happen if
we didn’t solve the problem? This is not the place for opinions. Extrapolate out the
expected results based on research and expert guidance.

● An asthma attack may include coughing, chest tightness, wheezing, and trouble
breathing. The attack happens in your body’s airways, which are the paths that carry air
to your lungs. As the air moves through your lungs, the airways become smaller, like the
branches of a tree are smaller than the tree trunk. During an asthma attack, the sides of
the airways in your lungs swell and the airways shrink. Less air gets in and out of your
lungs, and mucous that your body makes clogs up the airways.
● Odors in landfill gas are caused primarily by hydrogen sulfide and ammonia, which are
produced during breakdown of waste material. Short-term exposures (typically up to
about two weeks) to elevated levels of ammonia and hydrogen sulfide in air can cause
coughing, irritation of the eyes, nose, and throat, headache, nausea, and breathing
difficulties. reported health complaints included eye, throat and lung irritation, nausea,
headache, nasal blockage, sleeping difficulties, weight loss, chest pain, and aggravation
of asthma.
● One of the biggest effects of wasted food is an increase in climate change. When
organic waste decomposes, carbon dioxide and methane gas is created. Methane is
created when there is no air present while carbon dioxide is the natural product when
anything rots in air. Both carbon dioxide and methane are greenhouse gases, which
contribute to global warming and climate change. A body of evidence suggests that
major changes involving the atmosphere and climate have an impact on the biosphere
and human environment. Increased concentrations of greenhouse gases, especially
carbon dioxide, in the earth’s atmosphere have already substantially warmed the planet,
causing more severe and prolonged heat waves, temperature variability, increased
length and severity of the pollen season, air pollution, forest fires, droughts, and heavy
precipitation events and floods, all of which put respiratory health at risk. One of the main
diseases of concern produced by climate change is asthma.
● Data also suggest that air pollution can lead to the development of asthma. There is also
considerable evidence that subjects affected by asthma are at increased risk of
developing obstructive airway exacerbations if exposed to gaseous and particulate
components of air pollution.
● Efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions would have a major co-benefit in terms of
lowering of primary and secondary emissions of air pollution in return helping people with
asthma.
 ● Climate change is a huge threat to respiratory health by directly causing or aggravating
pre-existing respiratory diseases and increasing exposure to risk factors for respiratory
diseases. Current data suggests that air pollution can cause asthma. Climate change
increases water and air pollution which can cause and aggravate chronic respiratory
disease, such as asthma. Increased temperatures due to climate change lead to
increased ground-level ozone, which causes airway inflammation and damages lung
tissue. Ground-level ozone, or “bad ozone,” can be the most harmful for people living
with asthma. Ground-level ozone is created by a chemical reaction between nitrogen
oxide and organic compounds when exposed to sunlight. These can include emissions
from industrial facilities, motor vehicle exhaust and gasoline fumes. Ground-level ozone
is very likely to reach unhealthy levels on hot sunny days in urban environments and is a
major component in urban smog, a type of air pollution. The populations most vulnerable
to ground-level ozone are children, the elderly, people with lung disease or people who
are actively outdoors. Children are at the greatest risk to ground-level ozone and are
more likely than adults to have asthma. Unhealthy spikes in ground-level ozone pollution
correspond with increases in emergency room visits and hospitalizations for people with
asthma.

“When”

When does the issue occur? When does it need to be fixed?

Asthma is a disease that affects your lungs. It is one of the most common long-term diseases of
children, but adults can have asthma, too. Asthma causes wheezing, breathlessness, chest
tightness, and coughing at night or early in the morning. If you have asthma, you have it all the
time, but you will have asthma attacks only when something bothers your lungs. There are ways
to control asthma like taking medicine. Take your medicine exactly as your doctor tells you and
stay away from things that can trigger an attack to control your asthma. Everyone with asthma
does not take the same medicine. You can breathe in some medicines and take other
medicines as a pill. Asthma medicines come in two types—quick-relief and long-term control.
Quick-relief medicines control the symptoms of an asthma attack. Long-term control medicines
help you have fewer and milder attacks, but they don’t help you while you are having an asthma
attack. Asthma medicines can have side effects, but most side effects are mild and soon go
away. But not all people with asthma have access to doctors or medicine and the amount of
people with asthma will only increase if something isn’t done shortly.

“Where”

Where is this issue occurring?

It was estimated that more than 339 million people suffer from asthma.1 Asthma is the most
common noncommunicable disease among children. Most deaths occur in older adults. Asthma
is a public health problem not just for high-income countries; it occurs in all countries regardless
of the level of development. Most asthma-related deaths occur in low- and lower-middle income
countries. Asthma is under-diagnosed and under-treated. It creates substantial burden to
individuals and families and often restricts individuals’ activities for a lifetime.

Sources:
● https://www.health.ny.gov/environmental/outdoors/air/landfill_gas.htm
● https://err.ersjournals.com/content/23/132/161
● https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4465283/
● https://www.stateoftheair.org/shared-stories/arika-r-wa.html
● https://www.aafa.org/climate-and-health/
● https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3196488/
● https://www.cdc.gov/asthma/faqs.htm
● https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/asthma