CLIMATE CHANGE AND GLOBAL HEALTH – ENVIRONMENT

News: Is climate change affecting global health?

What's in the news?

       Even as countries are meeting at the ongoing Climate Change Conference (COP27) in Egypt, a recent report by Lancet, has traced in detail the intimate link between changing weather events and their impact on the health of people.

       The 2022 Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change: Health at the Mercy of Fossil Fuels points out that the world’s reliance on fossil fuels increases the risk of disease, food insecurity and other illnesses related to heat.

CLIMATE CHANGE AND ITS IMPACT ON HEALTH:

1. Raising infectious diseases:

       The changing climate is affecting the spread of infectious disease, raising the risk of emerging diseases and epidem­ics.

       For instance, it records that coastal waters are becoming more suited for the transmission of Vibrio pathogens.

       It also says that the number of months suitable for malaria transmission has increased in the highland areas of the Americas and Africa.

2. Food insecurity and malnourishment:

       Every dimension of food security is being affected by climate change.

       Higher temperatures threaten crop yields directly, with the growth season shortening for many cereal crops.

       Extreme weather events disrupt supply chains, thereby undermining food availability, access, stability, and utilisation.

3. Raising heat waves and health impacts:

       The Lancet report indicates that rapidly increasing temperatures exposed people, especially vulnerable populations (adults above 65 years old and children younger than one) to 3.7 billion more heatwave days in 2021 than annually in 1986–2005.

4. Raise in Mortality:

       Climate change affects the social and environmental determinants of health - clean air, safe drinking water, sufficient food and secure shelter.

       Between 2030 and 2050, climate change is expected to cause approximately 2,50,000 additional deaths per year, from malnutrition, malaria, diarrhoea and heat stress.

5. Pollen based disorders:

       Climate change will potentially lead to both higher pollen concentrations and longer pollen seasons, causing more people to suffer more health effects from pollen and other allergens.

       Pollen exposure can trigger various allergic reactions, including symptoms of hay fever and symptoms of allergic conjunctivitis

6. Climate change induced air pollution:

       Climate change is projected to harm human health by increasing ground-level ozone and/or particulate matter air pollution in some locations.

WAY FORWARD:

1. Action against climate change:

       The pace and scale of climate change adaptation, mitigation, planning and resilience need to be increased.

2. Health Centered Responses:

       A health centered response to the coexisting climate, energy, and cost-of-living crisis provides an opportunity to deliver a healthy, low-carbon future.

       Improvements in air quality will help prevent deaths resulting from exposure to fossil fuel-derived ambient PM2.5, and the stress on low-carbon travel and increase in urban spaces would result in promoting physical activity which would have an impact on physical and mental health.

3. Changes in dietary habits:

       An accelerated transition to balanced and more plant-based diets would help reduce emissions from red meat and milk production, and prevent diet-related deaths

4. Awareness:

       Spreading awareness through media campaigns during heat waves.

5. Recognition:

       The government’s commitment to assess and address the threats from climate change and they need to recognise climate based health impacts and climate induced diseases.

6. Coordinated efforts:

       Global coordination, funding, transparency, and cooperation between governments, communities, civil society, businesses, and public health leaders is required to reduce or prevent the vulnerabilities that the world is otherwise exposed to.

Thus, a health-centred response through global coordination, funding, transparency and cooperation to reduce the vulnerabilities that the world is otherwise exposed to is the need of the hour.