Impact of Climate Change on Health
Context:
- Examining the impact of climate change on India’s health is crucial as the nation prepares for the 28th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC COP28).
India’s health systems and climate change:
- India’s population is especially susceptible to the negative effects of climate threats on health because of our country’s subpar healthcare services. Health is directly impacted by climate change, which increases illness and mortality. Indirect effects include decreased working hours, increased stress caused by the climate, and altered nutrition.
- In the Paris Agreement, all countries committed to limiting global warming to 1.5°C. It’s obvious that we failed. The greatest temperatures and heat waves in recorded history occurred in 2023.
- Extreme heat, cyclones, and floods are examples of climate crises that are predicted to happen more frequently. These will exacerbate health issues and interfere with livelihoods and food security.
- According to the UNFCCC’s most recent report (2023), the world is already headed towards shortly passing the Paris Climate Deal threshold. Several regions of India may become uninhabitable if the global temperature were to increase by 2°C, according to one assessment.
Twofold weight:
- Climate change would exacerbate India’s dual morbidity burden from noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) and communicable illnesses (CMDs). Additionally, heat modifies a pathogen’s pathogenicity.
- It might encourage the development of vectors like ticks, sandflies, mosquitoes, and other, as-yet-unidentified ones, and alter the seasonality of infection by altering their life cycle. Additionally, it might make it easier for illnesses and vectors to spread to formerly uninhabited areas—like the Himalayan States, where mosquitoes are found.
- Vulnerability to illnesses is increased by decreased food and water availability as well as decreased food nutritional content. Floods are a common trigger for epidemics, but prolonged warm weather also encourages the growth of food- and water-borne infections and illnesses.
- The effects of climate change on NCDs and mental health—both of which are inadequately treated in India—are less widely acknowledged. Kidney injuries, which are on the rise in India as a result of uncontrolled diabetes, can be caused by heat, physical activity, and dehydration—all conditions that labourers must constantly deal with. Increased and prolonged exposure to air pollution aggravates chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases.
- A climate emergency is almost always accompanied with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression, which are made worse by the stress caused by the weather shift.
Urban India and climate change:
- India is rapidly and unplannedly becoming more urbanised. Urban heat island effect: With asphalt roads, heat-retaining buildings that physically obstruct air circulation, and a lack of greenery and open spaces to buffer against climate change, urban regions suffer the harshest consequences. (Rural areas nearby are cooler than urban places, especially at night).
- The already fragile urban primary health system is further burdened by climate change in addition to the negative consequences of air pollution, physically inactive urban design, and stress from the workplace and culture.
The future: Taking steps to mitigate:
- Assessing the burden and comprehending the direct and indirect ways that climate change affects health are the first steps in the process. The health information systems are not currently changed to collect this information.
- The impact can be mitigated by implementing social assistance and health service systems, as socioeconomic factors have a significant influence.
- Better urban design, more green space, water conservation, and public health initiatives will all require more extensive action, not only for health but for numerous health factors as well.
- Global, regional, and local action are required to combat climate change. The best location for intervention will be determined by the pathways and effects of climate change. In order to accomplish this, India must acknowledge that climate change and its effects on health are issues that can and should be addressed.
Way Forward:
- The decision to take action on the research-generated policy alternatives rests with the federal, state, and local governments. Meaningful change is only likely to occur when the three streams of problematization, policy choices, and political decision making come together.
