CLIMATE AND HEALTH

Climate change is a threat to human health and well-being, with inequitable and unjust

impacts on individuals from frontline communities who will experience the first and worst

impacts. These include lower socioeconomic communities, Black, Indigenous,

Latine/Hispanic, Asian, and Pacific Islander communities, and rural and coastal

communities, as well as children and the elderly who are more physiologically

susceptible to climate-related hazards (e.g., extreme heat, air pollution). Burning of

fossil fuels is one of the primary contributors to climate change, resulting in greenhouse

gas emissions and air pollution that have adverse planetary and human health effects.

Unfortunately, the consequences of climate change create a feedback loop. Rising

temperatures lead to warmer oceans, creating more water vapor in the atmosphere,

further warming the planet. Extreme heat increases energy consumption demands due

to a greater need for air conditioning which in turn leads to higher pollution.

The impacts of climate change on human health include, but are not limited to, heat

stress, poor air quality, increased risk of infectious disease transmission, disruption to

food systems and access to clean water, delays in healthcare, and direct and indirect

impacts of climate-related disasters that contribute worsening mental health and loss of

social support. Heat exposure and ambient air pollution are leading causes of global

disease burden, accounting for millions of deaths per year. Air pollution and its

components have been linked to heart diseases, respiratory issues, dementia, cancer,

and neurodevelopmental and neuropsychiatric disorders. Consequences of extreme

heat include heat stroke, hyperthermia, adverse birth outcomes, suicide, and worsening

of chronic conditions. Climate-related modifications to temperatures and rainfall patterns

increase the transmission rates and distribution of vector-borne diseases, such as

malaria and Zika virus. Climate change also contributes to food and water insecurity,

affecting the quantity and quality of crop production as well as access to safe-drinking

water, increasing risks of malnutrition and diarrheal diseases. Climate stressors also

reinforce and exacerbate existing social and economic vulnerabilities, with weather-

related disasters leading to displacement and forced migration, perpetuating poverty,

and increasing the likelihood of trauma exposure and incidence of mental illness,

including anxiety and depression. The World Health Organization estimates that

between 2030 and 2050, climate change will be responsible for nearly 250,000 deaths

annually related to these health consequences, with damage costs estimated to be up

to $4 billion per year.

The stress and health consequences of experiencing and bearing witness to climate

change call for swift, effective action to be taken at individual, local community, and

societal levels of influence. Policies are needed to rapidly reduce greenhouse gas

emissions and slow the onset of climate events, including floods, heat waves, wildfires,

droughts, storms, and hurricanes, which further environmental degradation, biodiversity

loss, and harms to human health. Resources must also be directed towards local

communities to promote climate resilience and support mitigation and adaptation efforts

among communities who are the most vulnerable to the harmful effects of climate

change.