Monitoring health impacts associated with climate change is of utmost importance, and CCIEVIs provide a global monitoring system that will inform and direct effective intervention strategies.
Health threats affecting populations worldwide range from direct impacts such as heat waves and flooding to indirect ones like changing range of disease-carrying insects or their survival in new regions, with communities without resources available to them often suffering disproportionately as a result of them.
Climate Change and Health
Climate change poses a public health threat because its direct and indirect effects threaten our well-being through heat waves, storms and floods; its direct impacts include direct effects such as air pollution; indirect effects include water shortages and food insecurity; as well as vector-borne illnesses and zoonotic diseases that threaten public health; it further undermines social determinants of health by increasing economic costs and making people more prone to illness.
Climate-related health risks disproportionately impact those most at risk in society, including women, children, indigenous populations, disadvantaged peoples, the elderly and those with existing medical conditions. They are especially exposed due to limited personal and community resources or adaptation capabilities as well as other underlying social inequalities that make adaptation more challenging.
Health impacts from climate change are unevenly distributed geographically. Climate change exacerbates existing differences in health outcomes by compounding risk factors like poverty, inequality, racism/discrimination/lack of access to health services/mental stress; therefore it’s vitally important that climate change be seen through a health lens.
Climate crises threaten the achievement of universal health coverage and ending extreme poverty by 2030 as part of the Sustainable Development Goals, while at the same time undermining their related SDGs for water and sanitation, increasing economic costs for those most at risk, decreasing availability of health care services and commodities, and potentially further marginalizing those already struggling financially.
Strengthening health systems’ preparedness to respond to climate change is therefore of utmost importance, through early warning and planning and implementation of prevention and mitigation strategies. To do so effectively will require close cooperation among a diverse set of partners including government agencies, academia, nongovernmental organizations, private companies and the general public.
Climate changes resulting in rising temperatures can increase heat-related illnesses like heat stroke, exhaustion and dehydration. Health systems can protect people against these risks by monitoring air quality and implementing cooling infrastructure such as access to drinking water and healthcare facilities; additionally they must educate staff as well as the general public on climate-related health risks.
Climate Change Impacts on Health
Climate change poses numerous health threats, from rising risks of disease and injury to limited access to essential services. The effects can differ depending on where a person resides, with those affected being more or less dependent upon health system capacity and social determinants of health; Renee Salas and colleagues wrote in Health Affairs that global warming diminishes healthcare systems’ abilities to protect individuals against emerging risks that increase their severity.
Climate-change-related health threats are distributed equitably; those living in low-income areas and coastal or low-lying locations tend to experience its consequences more acutely and possess less resources to adapt accordingly. Climate change-related threats to human health include extreme heat waves, degraded air quality, flooding, vector-borne diseases and poor crop yields.
High temperatures and frequent, intense heat waves can result in heatstroke, exhaustion, cramps, rashes and death. Poor air quality caused by high levels of particulate matter from wildfire smoke can exacerbate heart and lung ailments in those already predisposed; flooding and water contamination events may spread infectious diseases such as cholera or diarrheal illness to even further endanger lives.
Poor crop yields caused by droughts and flooding can increase malnutrition and food insecurity, reduce clean drinking water access, and create increased mosquito and tick populations that carry diseases like Lyme disease, Zika virus infection, dengue fever etc.
All these factors contribute to increased risks of malnutrition, food insecurity and vector-borne diseases among marginalized populations, while impeding health systems’ abilities to provide basic services and respond effectively in emergencies – including dispersing lifesaving medications.
Stress caused by natural disasters can also wreak havoc on mental health. Property loss, loved one deaths and displacement due to natural disasters can increase feelings of anxiety, depression, grief and stress – leading to lower self-esteem, aggression and interpersonal conflict, which in turn hinder the formation of healthy relationships and hamper recovery efforts for those afflicted by them. It also may reduce effectiveness of mental health treatment plans and support services provided for recovery purposes.
Climate Change Impacts on Mental Health
Climate change has direct and indirect negative repercussions for mental health. From heat waves that lead to stroke and heart attack, or floods spreading waterborne diseases, to increased air pollution leading to respiratory illnesses or loss of food security – climate change has grave ramifications on mental wellbeing. Climate-related stressors relating to life loss or property destruction may increase anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), suicidal thoughts as well as having to relocate in response to climate events further complicating matters and further compounding these effects on mental wellbeing.
Climate change’s adverse mental health consequences disproportionately impact vulnerable populations, including people living in areas exposed to its hazards; those relying on natural environments for agriculture, subsistence, recreation or subsistence purposes; as well as those taking medications which negatively impact body temperature regulation. Emergency workers or first responders working in communities of color or rural settings are especially at risk due to climate change’s adverse mental health consequences.
Many climate change-related impacts, from severe weather disasters to wildfires and flooding events, cause pain, confusion and loss of identity and place – which in turn have lasting, detrimental psychological ramifications on individuals as well as wider communities. Individuals experiencing these events – like wildfires or flooding – also face loss of safety, control, privacy which may contribute to feelings of depression, isolation and hopelessness.
Recognizing these emotions as being normal and part of a healthy adjustment process is critical, including understanding that climate change threats may seem overwhelming while being aware of available supportive resources to assist. Furthermore, being wary of overpathologizing normal, adaptive responses to disasters or underdiagnosing mental health issues related to climate change.
Health professionals, elected officials, and community leaders all must recognize the impact of climate change on mental health in order to take appropriate steps for health and well-being, engage in transformative activism that addresses both climate justice and mental health. This is especially crucial given COP26 climate negotiations taking place later this month.
Climate Change Impacts on Physical Health
Climate change can aggravate existing physical health conditions, such as heat stress (dizziness, exhaustion and heart attacks), air pollution and asthma, gastrointestinal illnesses and decreased immunity function. Furthermore, increased frequency and intensity of extreme weather events such as hurricanes, floods, wildfires or drought can increase chances for infectious diseases like dengue fever and malaria transmission.
These health impacts vary by location, season and individual. Furthermore, they can differ among populations based on factors like their current state of health and wellbeing; their sensitivity to climate stressors; ability to adapt quickly; resources available to deal with or remove themselves from harm; as well as climate change’s disproportionate effects on certain communities or individuals.
Increased heat waves have the potential to result in death from heat-related illness, placing at risk those who cannot regulate their body temperature effectively, such as those taking medication that compromises this capability, older adults and people living in areas without sufficient cooling infrastructure and those who lack access to fresh, clean water sources.
Climate change’s health implications are multidimensional, so understanding them requires knowledge from multiple disciplines and collaboration across them. Early warning systems, public health recommendations for vulnerable groups, community preparedness/resilience promotion initiatives and investing in energy efficient/green infrastructure may all help mitigate some of its greatest health risks.
APHA encourages health care and public health agencies and organizations to incorporate climate vulnerability assessments, planning, and adaptation efforts into their work at local, regional, and national levels. This organization strongly advises medical, public health, and nursing education programs to include climate change into their curricula as a key area for study; and governments to support such efforts with funding or other resources. APHA advocates for a global approach to monitoring climate change’s effects on human health and wellbeing, with indicators compatible across nations and sectors to allow easy comparison of climate data with health data as well as identification of emerging risks.
