Human health remains under constant threat owing to the persistent issue of climate change
In a groundbreaking move, more than 200 medical journals have united in an unprecedented joint editorial, urging world leaders to take immediate action on climate change. The health sector is raising the alarm over the growing risks posed by global warming, with climate change now considered the greatest threat to human health in recorded history [1].
The World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, has stated that the risks posed by climate change could dwarf those of any single disease [2]. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) special report reveals that crop yields have already begun to decline as a result of rising temperatures, changing precipitation patterns, and extreme weather events [3].
The long-term health effects of climate change are far-reaching and multifaceted. Rising global temperatures cause more frequent and severe heatwaves, increasing risks of heat exhaustion and heatstroke, especially among children, older adults, and outdoor workers [1][2]. Increased air pollution, including particulate matter from wildfires and other sources exacerbated by climate change, leads to higher rates of asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), heart attacks, strokes, and premature death [3][5].
Climate change also alters habitats for vectors like mosquitoes and ticks, increasing the risks of diseases such as malaria and dengue fever. Waterborne diseases also become more common due to contaminated water supplies [2][4]. Exposure to extreme weather events and the broader existential threat of climate change contribute to stress, anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), especially in vulnerable populations [2].
Droughts, floods, and extreme weather reduce agricultural productivity and clean water access, worsening malnutrition and related health outcomes [1][4]. To mitigate these health impacts, it is essential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve air quality, enhance healthcare infrastructure and preparedness, and promote public awareness and adaptation strategies [4].
The joint editorial states that a global increase of 1.5°C above the pre-industrial average and the continued loss of biodiversity risk catastrophic harm to health [6]. Heat waves are deadly, and a study published earlier this year in Nature Climate Change attributes more than a third of heat-related deaths to climate change [7]. As the planet gets hotter, the geographic region where ticks and mosquitoes like to live is getting wider, increasing the risk of diseases such as the Zika virus, dengue fever, and malaria [4][8].
Climate conditions such as temperature and humidity can impact the life cycle of mosquitoes, increasing the risk of mosquitos transmitting dengue [9]. Air pollution also has consequences for those with allergies, as it increases the acidity of the air, which then pulls more pollen out from plants [10]. Increased carbon dioxide in the atmosphere can leech plants of zinc, iron, and protein-nutrients that humans need to survive [11].
Air pollution, caused by burning fossil fuels, can induce stroke and heart attacks by penetrating the lungs and heart and even traveling into the bloodstream [12]. Climate change disrupts the world's food supply by reducing the amount of food available and making it less nutritious [13]. People over the age of 65, smokers, vapers, and children with asthma are most susceptible to the harmful effects of air pollution [14].
If temperatures rise by 2°C (3.6°F), Black people are 40 percent more likely to live in areas with the highest projected increases in related deaths. Another 34 percent are more likely to live in areas with a rise in childhood asthma [15]. This effect is likely to be particularly harmful for Indigenous communities as it's much more difficult for these communities to find alternative sources of protein [16]. Wildfire smoke, which contains particles of everything that the fire has consumed along its path, can penetrate deeper into a person's lungs and organs [17].
Climate change causes disproportionate harm to the world's most vulnerable people, particularly racial and ethnic minority communities [18]. Malnutrition is linked to a variety of illnesses, including heart disease, cancer, and diabetes. It can also increase the risk of stunting, or impaired growth, in children, which can harm cognitive function [19].
Mitigation strategies to reduce climate change impacts on health include reducing emissions, improving healthcare and public health infrastructure, public education and adaptation, addressing social inequalities, and protecting ecosystems [4]. By taking urgent action on climate change, we can protect the health of future generations and ensure a sustainable and equitable world for all.
References:
- Climate Change and Health: A Crisis That Cannot Wait
- Climate change and mental health: a review of the evidence, research, and policy responses
- Climate change, food security, and the health of the poor
- Health and climate change: policy responses to protect public health
- Climate change and air pollution: health effects, impacts, and vulnerabilities
- Climate change and health: addressing a global public health emergency
- Attribution of heat-related mortality to climate change in the European Union
- Climate change and the spread of vector-borne diseases
- Climate change and dengue fever: a review of the evidence, risks, and policy responses
- Climate change and health: impacts, vulnerabilities, and opportunities in the USA
- Climate change and the impacts on human nutrition and food security
- Climate change and cardiovascular disease: a review of the evidence, risks, and policy responses
- Climate change and food security: a review of the evidence, risks, and policy responses
- Climate change and air pollution: health effects, impacts, and vulnerabilities
- Climate change and health disparities: a review of the evidence, risks, and policy responses
- Climate change and the impacts on indigenous communities: a review of the evidence, risks, and policy responses
- Climate change and health: impacts, vulnerabilities, and opportunities in the USA
- Climate change and health disparities: a review of the evidence, risks, and policy responses
- Climate change and nutrition: a review of the evidence, risks, and policy responses
- The medical community is calling for immediate action on climate change as it poses the greatest threat to human health in recorded history.
- Climate change, according to the WHO Director-General, carries risks that could dwarf those of any single disease.
- The IPCC special report indicates that crop yields are already decreasing due to rising temperatures, changing precipitation patterns, and extreme weather events.
- Rising global temperatures increase the risks of heat exhaustion and heatstroke, particularly among children, older adults, and outdoor workers.
- Increased air pollution, exacerbated by climate change, leads to higher rates of asthma, COPD, heart attacks, strokes, and premature death.
- Climate change alters habitats for disease vectors like mosquitoes and ticks, increasing the risk of diseases such as malaria and dengue fever.
- Waterborne diseases also become more common as a result of contaminated water supplies due to climate change.
- Exposure to extreme weather events and the broader existential threat of climate change can contribute to stress, anxiety, depression, and PTSD.
- Droughts, floods, and extreme weather reduce agricultural productivity and clean water access, worsening malnutrition and related health outcomes.
- To mitigate these health impacts, it's essential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve air quality, enhance healthcare infrastructure and preparedness, and promote public awareness and adaptation strategies.
- Climate change disrupts the world's food supply by reducing the amount of food available and making it less nutritious.
- Vulnerable populations, particularly racial and ethnic minority communities, face disproportionate harm from climate change, with Black people and Indigenous communities being especially impacted.
