Autor:in:
K. Nadeau (Boston, US)
Increased anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions are responsible for approximately 1.1°C of warming since preindustrial times and are expected to increase further. Global warming has led to climate change including increasing frequency and intensity of extreme weather events such as flooding, thunderstorms, sand and dust storms, wildfires, and heat waves.
There are many direct and indirect health effects of climate change. Heat waves can lead to dehydration, heat stroke, as well as cardiovascular, respiratory, and cerebrovascular disease. Ground-level ozone, which increases with higher temperatures, is associated with adverse respiratory health. It can damage lung tissue, reduce lung function, and inflame airways. Higher temperatures also increase the geographical range of vector borne diseases such as mosquitos and ticks spreading diseases such as West Nile disease and Lyme disease, respectively. Sand and dust storms and wildfires increase air pollution, particularly particulate matter. Those with aerodynamic diameters of 10 m or less can be inhaled into the lungs with those even smaller (2.5ms in diameter or less) penetrating deeper into the lungs and into the bloodstream. These particles are associated with adverse respiratory and cardiovascular health. Rising carbon dioxide levels and higher temperatures have enabled plants to flower and release pollen at higher concentrations and for a greater length of time each year leading to a longer allergy season. Thunderstorms, during pollen season, can break pollen particles into smaller more allergenic particles leading to severe and acute asthma exacerbations. Flooding increases exposure to numerous dangerous toxins, algal blooms, and other contaminants.
Climate change also leads to indirect health effects caused by increased land desertification and degradation and drought, decreased biodiversity, greenery, and food and water security. These climate stressors can lead to migration, and declines in mental health, nutritional status, and overall wellbeing. Certain groups are more vulnerable to health risks from climate change than others such as (1) those who are physiologically more sensitive to the effects of climate change (e.g., pregnant women, infants, the elderly, those with comorbid conditions, (2) those who are at risk of increased exposure (e.g., outdoor workers, athletes, homeless individuals), and (3) those of low socioeconomic status who live in areas at high risk of extreme weather event and who lack the resources to adapt to the climate event (e.g., those who live close to a flood zone, those lacking access to air conditioning)
There is an urgent need to mitigate the effects of global warming while simultaneously adapting to these effects in order to minimize adverse health effects for the current as well as future generations. Cooperative and coordinated action is needed at all hierarchical levels: individual, community, local, national, and international. Action should take into account justice, equity, diversity and inclusion so that the brunt of the health effects of climate change is borne equitably and not primarily by the most vulnerable and socioeconomically disadvantaged sections of society. It should also be recognized that planetary health is integrally connected to human health and One Health approaches, which is an integrated, unifying approach to balance and optimize the health of people, animals and the environment should be undertaken.