Health Impacts of Climate Change

Climate change has far-reaching impacts on global health, intensifying emergencies like floods and heatwaves, which disproportionately affect vulnerable populations. The ongoing COP28 conference has recognized the overlap of climate and health concerns, emphasizing the need for health-centric climate resilience.

Health Risks from Climate Change:

Direct Effects: Increased incidences of respiratory diseases from air pollution, heat stress, and the spread of infectious diseases due to changing weather patterns.

Strain on Healthcare: Natural disasters stress healthcare systems, highlighting the necessity for robust, resilient health infrastructures.

Efforts for Health System Resilience:

Swasti, a public health organization, along with other health professionals, is advocating for climate-resilient health systems.

The emphasis is on local solutions, like safeguarding drinking water sources during floods and providing effective healthcare during pandemics.

Challenges and Solutions:

Localizing Responses: Crafting health system responses tailored to local conditions and vulnerabilities.

Integrating Nutrition: Addressing the indirect impacts of climate change on nutrition and food security, as climate-related shifts can affect crop yield and dietary diversity.

Outlook:

Building Resilience: Strengthening primary healthcare centres and enhancing preparedness for extreme weather events are critical.

Policy and Investment: Increased funding, policy attention, and investment in climate-resilient health infrastructure and services are imperative for coping with the health impacts of climate change.

SRIRAM’s