Impact of climate change on health and strategies for mitigation and adaptation

ABSTRACT

Climate change and its negative impacts on health are now globally recognized. A wide variety ofdiseases and health conditions – ranging from heat and radiation-related illnesses to water andvector-borne diseases, under-nutrition, respiratory and cardiac problems, drowning, injuries andmental stress arising from extreme and sudden weather events and their resultant populationdisplacements – all have been associated with various components of changing climate. However,the exact nature and extent of such impacts are yet to be firmly established since many othernon-climate factors also produce or affect similar outcomes. This calls for more research speciallyfrom the underdeveloped countries, where such impacts are disproportionately more but reliabledata are remarkably less. Recognizing the importance of human influences on global warming,almost all countries in the world have undertaken some kind of policies and measures to mitigateadverse climatic changes. Unfortunately, even without further addition of greenhouse gases (GHGs)in our climate, the amount of GHGs already released has the potential to continue the damages formany more decades to come. Thus, all countries should also place priorities in assessing their ownvulnerabilities from climate change and take adaptive measures accordingly. As climate changeexerts its impact simultaneously in many non-health sectors as well, this would require strongintersectoral cooperation at various levels.