Impact on human health
The rising of Earth temperatures has negative consequences for human health. Climate change threatens the progress made over the last fifty years in reducing poverty, improving health care, prolonging life expectancy and, more generally, more successful human development. Today, about 12% of the world's population spends at least 10% of their family budget on health care. Health crises already put some 100 million people in poverty every year, and the effects of climate change are exacerbating this trend.
Vulnerability of human health to climate change can be due to various factors:
- Deteriorated quality of air, water and food;
- Increased number of extreme natural phenomena (floods, hot or cold waves, fires, severe storms / hurricanes);
- Increasing spread of diseases through mosquitoes, ticks and other blood-sucking insects;
- Unfavorable demographic composition (aging population);
- Deteriorated general health status of the population;
- Poor political and socio-economic conditions;
- Poorly developed health system and/or low professional training of medical staff;
- Lack of adequate information system, education, etc.
For example, climate change makes people more vulnerable to additional stress. Hotter weather in the summer is likely to cause an increase in deaths from overheating. The number and intensity of floods will increase. Due to drought and other unfavorable climate changes, poor nutrition and hunger will be a growing scourge for poor countries.
The vulnerability of a particular geographical region to climate change also plays an important role.
Climate change is affecting human health in many and varied ways:
- injuries and even deaths as a result of increasingly frequent extreme weather events (storms, fires and floods);
- increase in infectious and parasitic diseases transmitted by animals;
- increase in deaths from overheating as a result of prolonged heat waves;
- aggravation of a number of lung diseases due to prolonged inhalation of fine dust particles in the air caused by dry and hot winds;
- increase in the number of problems related to mental health, heart disease, etc.
In addition, climate change undermines many of the social factors that determine the good health of people, such as livelihoods, equality and access to health care and social support structures.
All of these climate-sensitive health risks are felt mainly by disadvantaged people and/or more vulnerable groups – women, children, ethnic minorities, poor communities, migrants, the elderly and people with health problems.
If global warming continues unabated, the prospects for humanity are not good:
- Between 2030 and 2050, climate change is expected to cause approximately 250,000 additional deaths annually from malnutrition, malaria, diarrhea and heat stroke.
- The direct cost of future climate change relief is estimated at between $ 2-4 billion a year.
- Areas with poor health infrastructure – especially in developing countries – will not be able to cope without preparation and response assistance.
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