How climate change is quietly rewriting rules of public health: what you need to know
Policymakers must build resilient health care to tackle climate change’s growing threats
The globe is in the midst of a profound climactic transformation, spurring a series of forceful effects on the public health landscape. A recently published report by the World Economic Forum projects that by 2050, climate change could cause up to 14.5 million deaths and $12.5 trillion in economic losses, in addition to $1.1 trillion in health care expenses, compounding the pressures on public health systems worldwide.
Among the weather events studied in the report, floods emerge as the most significant threat to human life, projected to result in approximately 8.5 million fatalities by 2050.
Droughts, often exacerbated by extreme heat, are expected to be the second leading cause of death, with an estimated 3.2 million lives lost. Meanwhile, heatwaves are forecasted to have the largest economic impact, potentially costing around $7.1 trillion by 2050 due to decreased productivity.
The spectrum of varying climate events can pose huge risks for communities. For instance, rising temperatures contribute to more frequent heatwaves, increasing cases of dehydration, heat exhaustion, and heat stroke, particularly among vulnerable populations, such as the elderly or children.
The MENA region is marked as one of the most water-stressed regions in the world, with water scarcity affecting 41 million people in the region, according to a UNICEF report. Meanwhile, around 40 million people in Africa experienced severe drought conditions and in Europe, 62,000 heat-related deaths were recorded in the summer of 2022.
Susceptibility to diseases
Warmer, humid conditions also aggravate the cases of vector-borne diseases, such as malaria and dengue. Additionally, extreme heat disrupts agricultural yields, leading to food insecurity and malnutrition, which increases susceptibility to diseases associated with nutrient deficiencies.
Wildfires, driven by dry conditions from rising temperatures, are occurring more frequently in different parts of the world, resulting in destroyed ecosystems, property loss, and worsened air quality. This elevated air pollution also contributes to respiratory and cardiovascular issues, with forecasts suggesting up to nine million premature deaths per year by 2060 due to pollution exposure.
Climate-driven natural disasters, including hurricanes and wildfires, could also lead to injuries, fatalities, and displacement, resulting in mental health challenges in the form of anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and eco-anxiety. Furthermore, climate shifts alter disease geography, transferring illnesses and infections to previously unaffected regions.
Thus, addressing these complex health challenges requires a comprehensive dual response to mitigate the effects of climate change and construct a more resilience health care system, as the well-being of global populations are increasingly at stake.
By adopting proactive approaches, governments can lessen climate-related health risks and reduce mortality rates from extreme weather events, pollution levels, and diseases. Additionally, coordinated action is required to bring together governments, global organisations, private sector enterprises, research centres, and academia to deepen the knowledge of these growing threats and simultaneously design multifaceted solutions.
Climate-sensitive health monitoring systems
Establishing robust climate-sensitive health monitoring systems will be crucial in tracking climate-related health trends, enabling policymakers to map out emerging trends, engage in alerts, and intervene in a timely fashion. By leveraging data analytics and real-time reporting, these systems can enhance understanding of emerging health risks, identify their root causes, and inform evidence-based decision-making.
In tandem, governments should engage in public-private partnerships that advance research and innovations on understanding the evolving effects of climate change on public health, exploring solutions to diseases and conditions aggravated by climate change, and discovering new treatments and vaccines that aim to protect populations from the adverse effects of a changing climate.
Fundamentally, governments should build the capacity and competency of medical workforces who are capable of handling climate-related health emergencies, such as heat stress, respiratory illnesses, and vector-borne diseases. Likewise, it would be vital to strengthen health care infrastructure to withstand extreme weather events and provide cutting-edge medical diagnostic and treatment equipment that enable medical workers to handle intensifying climate-induced health cases.
Redesigning urban environments is another pivotal solution to mitigating the climate impacts on health. For instance, expanding green spaces and shaded areas can reduce the intensity of heatwaves on communities. On the other hand, reducing greenhouse gas emissions through clean public transport networks can improve air quality and reduce the prevalence of a variety of respiratory illnesses that are aggravated by air pollution.
Water security initiatives, including water conservation and wastewater treatment, are essential to safeguard against waterborne illnesses, particularly in drought-prone regions.
Managing climate-related risks
Global cooperation is key to strengthening stewardship of these efforts, especially as climate change is a transnational issue. Joint initiatives can focus on shared health priorities, such as emission control, disaster preparedness, and research on health impacts of climate change. Locally, public health education programs can inform and nudge communities to adopt healthier lifestyles, empowering their proactive roles in managing climate-related risks.
Additionally, promoting mental well-being programs should be a top priority as such cataclysmic events can have dire effects and thus, programs should concentrate on offering coping strategies for communities affected by climate hazards. By implementing preventive health programs that focus on nutrition, respiratory health, and disease control, governments can reduce the toll of climate-related illnesses and deaths.
Policymakers should prioritise shaping resilient health care systems to combat the unprecedented and hazardous impacts of climate change, ultimately safeguarding the well-being of global populations in the coming decades.
Sara Al-Mulla is an Emirati civil servant with an interest in human development policy and literature