Epidemiology and Public Health

Health and Climate Change

Climate change is a threat to the health of the people. now a days the impacts of human-induced climate change are increasing worldwide. Rising greenhouse gas concentrations result in increases in temperature, changes in precipitation and rising sea levels. These climate changes endanger our health by affecting our food and water sources, the air we breathe, the weather we experience, and natural environments. As the climate continues to change, the risks to human health also continue to grow.

The present and future climatic changes expose more people in more places to public health threats. We are already observing the climatic changes such as exposure to high temperatures, severe or longer-lasting extreme events; decreased air quality, diseases transmitted through food, water, and disease vectors like ticks and mosquitoes and mental health stresses and well-being. All of these threats will definitely worsen with continued climate change. Few of these health threats will occur over longer time periods, or at unpredicted times of the year; people will be exposed to threats not previously experienced in their locations. The instances of potentially beneficial health impacts of climate change are limited in number to specific regions or populations. The reduction in cold-related deaths is projected to be smaller than the increase in heat-related deaths in most of the regions.