Climate change is a huge health crisis for humanity. It puts at risk the basic foundations of good health by affecting important factors such as clean air, safe drinking water, nutritious food, and safe shelter. Also, it has the ability to reverse decades of global health enhancement.
Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), which include cardiovascular diseases, cancers, chronic respiratory disorders, and diabetes, account for 74% of all deaths globally. Worryingly, 86% of these early NCD-related deaths occur in poor and middle-income nations.
Climate change and NCDs are inextricably connected. These two global crises are interconnected, harming health and development benefits. They have the greatest impact on poor and marginalized people, particularly women, children, ethnic minorities, and individuals with underlying health issues. Despite contributing little to greenhouse gas emissions, small island developing states (SIDS) are among the worst-affected regions. Increased morbidity and mortality from NCDs, for example, have been related to extreme weather events such as heatwaves and bad diets due to food and water poverty.
Climate change also has a significant impact on mental health. These difficulties have ramifications beyond individual health, affecting livelihoods, access to healthcare, and social support networks. Such climate-sensitive health hazards are felt most strongly by people who are least responsible for climate change but are most exposed to its consequences.
But it's not all doom and gloom. Proactively combating climate change can result in considerable benefits in public health. Clean energy and transport policies can help to minimise air pollution, while encouraging walking and biking can help to promote healthier lifestyles. Also, encouraging the use of locally sourced, plant-based foods while discouraging excessive red meat consumption minimises greenhouse gas emissions while promoting better diets. Planting crops beside trees and bushes can help increase resilience to climate change.
To maximise their impact, efforts to combat climate change and NCDs must be coordinated. Nature must be protected, pure air and water must be ensured, healthier energy sources must be transitioned, sustainable food systems must be supported, liveable cities must be built, pollution must be avoided, and healthcare systems must be strengthened.
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Technology is a useful servant, but a dangerous master, it was rightly said. Electronic devices have grown into an inevitable part of our daily lives.
