Climate change, often seen as an environmental issue, is, in fact, one of the most pressing threats to human health worldwide. In this article, we will explore the undeniable connection between climate change and health, shedding light on key facts, the disproportionate impact on vulnerable communities, and the urgent need for collective action.
Climate Change and Health: Key Facts
1. Environmental Determinants of Health
Climate change profoundly affects the social and environmental determinants of health, including access to clean air, safe drinking water, sufficient food, and secure shelter.
2. Projected Health Impacts
Between 2030 and 2050, climate change is expected to lead to approximately 250,000 additional deaths annually due to malnutrition, malaria, diarrhoea, and heat stress.
3. Economic Costs
The direct damage costs to health, excluding related sectors such as agriculture and water and sanitation, are estimated to reach USD 2-4 billion per year by 2030.
Vulnerable Populations
Areas with weak health infrastructure, primarily in developing countries, will be the least equipped to cope with climate change impacts, necessitating assistance for preparedness and response.
Emissions Reduction and Health
Reducing greenhouse gas emissions through improved transportation, food choices, and energy use can result in better health outcomes, particularly through reduced air pollution.
The Climate Crisis: A Global Health Threat
Climate change is undeniably the most significant health threat facing humanity today. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has underscored the urgency of limiting global temperature rise to 1.5°C to prevent catastrophic health impacts and avert millions of climate-related deaths. However, past emissions have already set certain temperature increases in motion, and even a 1.5°C rise is not entirely safe.
While climate change poses risks to everyone, those most affected are often the least responsible for its causes and have the fewest resources to protect themselves. Vulnerable communities, particularly in low-income countries, bear the brunt of climate-induced health challenges.
Climate Change and Health Inequalities
The climate crisis threatens to reverse the progress made in global development, health, and poverty reduction over the past fifty years. It also exacerbates existing health inequalities both between and within populations. This poses a severe threat to the realization of universal health coverage (UHC) by compounding the burden of disease and intensifying barriers to accessing healthcare, particularly when it is most needed.
Currently, over 930 million people, approximately 12% of the global population, allocate at least 10% of their household budget to healthcare expenses. With many of the world’s poorest individuals lacking insurance coverage, climate change worsens this situation, pushing around 100 million people into poverty each year.
Climate-Sensitive Health Risks
Climate change is already leaving its mark on health in various ways:
Extreme Weather Events
Increasingly frequent extreme weather events, such as heatwaves, storms, and floods, lead to deaths and illnesses.
Disruption of Food Systems
Climate change disrupts food systems, resulting in food scarcity and malnutrition.
Disease Spread
It leads to an increase in zoonotic and vector-borne diseases, water- and food-borne illnesses, putting more lives at risk.
Mental Health
Climate change also takes a toll on mental health, causing stress and anxiety.
Social Determinants
Moreover, climate change undermines the social determinants of health, such as livelihoods, equality, and access to healthcare and support structures. These climate-sensitive health risks disproportionately affect vulnerable groups, including women, children, ethnic minorities, poor communities, migrants, older populations, and those with pre-existing health conditions.
The Path Forward
While it remains challenging to precisely estimate the scale and impact of many climate-sensitive health risks, scientific advances increasingly allow us to attribute morbidity and mortality to human-induced warming. In the short- to medium-term, the health impacts will depend on the vulnerability of populations, their resilience, and the pace of adaptation. In the long-term, it hinges on taking transformational action now to reduce emissions and avert dangerous temperature thresholds and irreversible tipping points.
In conclusion, climate change is not just an environmental concern; it is a global health crisis. Addressing this crisis requires collective action to reduce emissions, protect vulnerable populations, and build a more resilient and equitable world. Climate change and health are intertwined, and our response must reflect this intricate relationship. It is our collective responsibility to safeguard the health and well-being of present and future generations by addressing the root causes of climate change. The time for action is now.
Reference: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/climate-change-and-health