Climate change and human health: What does the research say?

Climate change poses several threats to the health and well-being of Americans, including an increase in the likelihood of extreme heat events and severe storms, as well as changes in the prevalence of asthma attacks and tick-borne diseases. . Huh. Mosquitoes. In the United States, some of these health effects are already being felt.

What is the impact of climate change on human health?

Through many mechanisms, climate change can exacerbate existing health problems or create new public health challenges. These links are made by linking weather effects to changes in risk, which can lead to adverse health effects (health consequences). It also shows where people live and other variables such as their age, health, wealth, or access to health care resources can change people's sensitivity to human health outcomes for better or worse. For example, if a family's income, home quality, and community emergency management plans are all under extreme heat, this threat can affect their health to any degree and affect their ability to adapt to the effects of high heat. Affects their efficiency.

What can indicators tell us about human health and climate change?

The effects of climate change on health are complex, often indirect, and depend on various socio-economic and environmental factors, as shown in fig. Although it is difficult to define an actual health outcome, tracking changes in weather effects and risks can improve knowledge. Changes in health risk. Flood routing, for example, is used by state and local health professionals to better identify changes in human exposure to contaminated water (a health hazard) such as specific weather effects indicators such as sea level, heavy rainfall, and coastal flooding. How By recognizing the risks of rehabilitation, these authorities can better understand how climate change is affecting the number of people suffering from gastrointestinal diseases (a).

Who is in danger?

Climate change will also affect the mental health of the people. Climate or weather disasters, in particular, increase the likelihood of adverse mental health outcomes, especially if they damage homes and livelihoods or cause the death of a loved one. These events can have a wide range of mental health consequences, from minor stress and distress to clinical illnesses, including anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress.

It is important to realize that many of the health effects listed here do not occur in isolation; Individuals may face multiple threats at the same time, at different times in their lives, or throughout time. As people are exposed to many health risks, their risks increase. For example, very hot days can exacerbate the chemical processes that cause fog, resulting in heat-related illness and poor air quality. In addition, many factors that determine whether a person is exposed to health risks, such as a person's habits, living environment, and access to medical treatment, may change over time.