Climate change is killing us — in more ways than one

We've all heard about climate change's effect on our planet — but do you know about the many ways it also impacts human health?

Climate change is expected to cause an estimated USD$2-4 billion in direct damage costs to health by the year 2030,according tothe World Health Organization.

But the human health toll is more devastating.

Increasingly frequent heatwaves, storms, bushfires, hurricanes and floods can cause death and injury. The smoke from bushfires contributes to respiratory illness and premature death,especially in busy cities.

Climate change is killing us

Already, 37 percent of heat-related deathscan be attributedto human-induced climate change — a figure that will likely rise along with temperatures.

As the latestGlobal Burden of Disease studyrevealed, heat and air pollution have become bigger problems in many parts of the world since 1990:

Extreme weather eventsalso spread disease. Changing temperature and weather patterns can create conditions for waterborne or foodborne illnesses such as cholera, and vector-borne diseases such asmalaria and dengue feverto thrive.

The impact of these weather disasters on food security can be devastating.

Climate change can alsoundermine many social determinantsfor good health, such as livelihoods and social support structures; and can cause mental health issues, including climate anxiety, post-traumatic stress (including in frontline workers such asfirefightersandhealth workers), and long-term disorders due to displacement and other life upheavals.

Extreme weather eventsalso spread disease. Changing temperature and weather patterns can create conditions for waterborne or foodborne illnesses such as cholera, and vector-borne diseases such asmalaria and dengue feverto thrive.

Marginalized, vulnerable face increased risks

Those in marginalised communities, or inareas with weak health infrastructureare most at risk of many of these health impacts. Women also face greater risks of violence as a result of climate change — with weather disasters often linked tohigher rates of domestic violence, sex trafficking and other forms of gender-based abuse.

Another, often-overlooked, threat is the interaction between pandemics and climate change.

A recent comprehensive meta-analysis revealed that climate change could aggravate more than 50 percent of known human pathogens, meaning itcould lead to anincrease in pandemics and epidemics.

Worse, some studies show an increase invaccine hesitancy since the COVID-19 pandemicin some populations — making building vaccine confidence all the more urgent in the face of climate change.

The climate crisis threatens to undo the last 50 years of progress in development, global health and poverty reduction, the World Health Organizationhas warned. It also raises significant human rights issues. While climate change has not traditionally been seen as ahealth and human rightsconcern, that may be changing. 

Recent high-profile court cases inIndia's Supreme Courtand theEuropean Court of Human Rightsframed climate change health issues as a human rights concern.

Against that backdrop, this special report — which coincides with the2024 World Health Summit, a regional meeting hosted by Monash University on April 22-24 — examines the various ways in which climate change, health and the health sector intersect, spotlighting current key challenges and solutions.

This content is originally published under the Creative Commons license by 360info™. The Ground Report editorial team has made some changes to the original version.

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