PrintOne of the biggest concerns that people have about climate change is how it might affect human health. What are the current and projected future health impacts of climate change? Who is at risk? What can be done to reduce those impacts and risks?
Climate change affects human health in three ways:
- direct exposure
- indirect exposure
- socioeconomic disruption
These effects of climate change do not act in isolation, however; environmental, social, and health system factors modify these impacts substantially.
It's about us.
This chart from the IPCC (it's an oldie but goodie from 2007) demonstrates the varying levels of confidence of several impacts on human health. We see red arrows of varying length pointing toward the left to denote negative impacts while we see blue arrows of varying lengths pointing to the right to denote positive impacts. What do you notice, though, about the size and frequency of the negative impact arrows vs. the positive impact arrows? (That's right! The negative impacts far outweigh the positive ones.)
| Impact | Negative Impact | Positive Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Very High Confidence | ||
|
Malaria: Contraction and expansion, changes in the transmission season |
5 |
2.5 |
| High Confidence | ||
|
Increase in malnutrition |
10 |
- |
|
Increase in the number of people suffering from deaths, disease, and injuries from extreme weather events |
7.5 |
- |
|
Increase in the frequency of cardio-respiratory diseases from changes in air quality |
5 |
- |
|
Change in the range of infectious disease vectors |
2.5 |
1 |
|
Reduction of cold-related deaths |
- |
1.5 |
| Medium Confidence | ||
|
Increase in the burden of diarrhoeal diseases |
6 |
- |