Introduction
Over the past few years, a plethora of research has come out linking climate change to adverse health outcomes around the world. In 2021, a worldwide group of medical research professionals suggested that rising temperatures associated with climate change was the greatest threat to global public health. Illustrating the growing potential consequences of climate change, 2021 marked some of the most frequent extreme and costly climate events in the United States in the past decade. Climate and climate change related health risks disproportionately impact historically marginalized and under-resourced groups, who have the least resources to prepare for and recover from these disasters. As climate-related events become more common, the impacts on health and health care will increase in both frequency and intensity. This brief provides an overview of the impact of climate and climate change on health, identifies who is at increased risk for negative health impacts associated with climate and climate change, explains why there is a growing focus on climate change and health, and reviews recent federal efforts to address climate change and health equity.
How Do Climate and Climate Change Affect Health?
Climate and weather can negatively impact individual and population-level health through multiple pathways. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) notes that different climate drivers, including increasing temperatures, precipitation extremes, extreme weather, and rising sea levels, affect health through a range of exposure pathways, including extreme heat, poor air quality, reduced food and water quality, changes in infectious agents, and population displacement (Figure 1). These exposures may lead to negative health outcomes such as heat-related and cardiopulmonary illnesses; food-, water-, and vector-borne diseases, and worsened mental health and stress.
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Climate Change and Health Equity: Key Questions and Answers – Kaiser Family Foundation
