When people hear the phrase “Climate Change” the image they are most accustomed to hearing about is something along the lines of melting ice caps, droughts, and heatwaves. What they may rarely imagine is an asthma attack in Delhi India, a Dengue outbreak in Guatemala, or a farmer in Southeast Asia collapsing due to the sweltering heat. Human health goes hand in hand with climate health, and when sea levels rise, droughts affect food security, and temperature levels skyrocket, humans, especially those struggling in impoverished nations, are unable to free themselves from the repercussions. Climate change is not only an accelerating force in our environmental demise—it is one of the most pressing global health threats of our time.
Extreme Heat
The World Health Organisation (WHO) defines a heatwave as a period in time where excess heat accumulates and leads to a series of unusually hot days and nights. The increasing commonality of these events is predicted to continue to rise, and this can be attributed to global warming, which is the gradual ongoing increase of Earth’s temperature—which has been fundamentally expedited since the Industrial Revolution by humans. Exposure to these extended periods of heat puts stress on the human body which, in its struggle to cool itself, puts immense pressure on both the heart and kidneys, which opens the door to an onslaught of illnesses and even death. The damage extended heat exposure causes includes but is not limited to: an abundance of strokes, dehydration, respiratory issues, and kidney injury. These issues are even more prevalent in poorer urban areas, where the metal from buildings allows heat to accumulate, and in rural areas that may not have access to automatic cooling systems. Moreover, elderly and children populations are acutely affected by heatwaves, as their bodies are physiologically weaker, less capable and more susceptible to the elements.
Rising temperatures, precipitation fluctuations, and evolving weather patterns are ideal conditions for pathogens to spread. Vector-borne diseases are illnesses that are spread to humans via transporters such as mosquitos or ticks. According to the World Health Organisation, about 17% of all infectious diseases plaguing the world are Vector-borne, with most attributed to mosquitos. Malaria is one of these diseases that accounts for 249 million cases and 608,000 deaths annually, and most of these deaths are children under the age of five. The bear brunt of these statistics come from poorer areas near the equator, and the spread of these diseases are often catalysed by factors such as global travel and trade. The rising number of cases for these illness is due to the geographic range expansion of carriers, which is due to warmer temperatures. A prime example of this is the spread of Hyalomma ticks northward. Hyalomma ticks can transmit Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever, a disease with a high fatality rate. With rising temperature changes, what was once considered highly unlikely is now an unfortunate reality.
Food and Water Insecurity
Rising temperatures, precipitation fluctuations, and evolving weather patterns are ideal conditions for pathogens to spread. Vector-borne diseases are illnesses that are spread to humans via transporters such as mosquitos or ticks. According to the World Health Organisation, about 17% of all infectious diseases plaguing the world are Vector-borne, with most attributed to mosquitos. Malaria is one of these diseases that accounts for 249 million cases and 608,000 deaths annually, and most of these deaths are children under the age of five. The bear brunt of these statistics come from poorer areas near the equator, and the spread of these diseases are often catalysed by factors such as global travel and trade. The rising number of cases for these illness is due to the geographic range expansion of carriers, which is due to warmer temperatures. A prime example of this is the spread of Hyalomma ticks northward. Hyalomma ticks can transmit Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever, a disease with a high fatality rate. With rising temperature changes, what was once considered highly unlikely is now an unfortunate reality.
Air Quality and Respiratory Issues
Climate Change destabilizes the very systems that stand as distinct pillars of life. Shifting rainfall patterns and the increasing frequency of extreme weather phenomena (hurricanes, floods, droughts, etc) reduce crop yield by tenfold and wash away topsoil. Fisheries and livestock face strain because of the rising temperature of water, altered migration patterns, and dry spells. These incidents unproportionately affect small farmers in low income communities who are forced to face the harshest losses in the form of rising food prices, lost income, and fewer nutritious options. Water security is likewise threatened on multiple fronts. Glacial retreat and drought diminish reliable supplies; storms and rising sea-levels push saltwater into aquifers, and floods contaminate wells with pathogens and chemicals. These dynamics are linked with malnutrition, growth stunts, micronutrient deficiencies, and diarrhoeal illness, especially among children. To aid in this, we must implement safeguards to protect supply chains and invest in safe water sanitation so a heatwave or flood does not cascade into a hunger driven crisis.
Climate Change is a public health emergency, not only because it erodes coastlines or ecosystems, but because it directly affects every breath we take, every meal we enjoy, and every glass of water we drink. Extreme heat, air quality decay, and pathogen outreach due to climate change is all magnified in low income communities with the fewest protections. The path forward requires a halt in rapid emissions to reduce further warming, cleaner air strategies, and policies that protect the health of the most vulnerable populations. Safeguarding health is not optional, it is the measure of the response of human morality in times of crisis.
Works Cited
“Climate Change and Health.” World Health Organization, 30 Oct. 2021, www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/climate-change-heat-and-health. Accessed 5 Oct. 2025.
“Vector-Borne Diseases.” World Health Organization, 2 Mar. 2020, www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/vector-borne-diseases. Accessed 5 Oct. 2025.
“Climate Change and Infectious Diseases.” National Emerging Special Pathogens Training and Education Center (NETEC), 25 Mar. 2024, netec.org/2024/03/25/climate-change-and-infectious-diseases/. Accessed 5 Oct. 2025.
“What You Need to Know about Food Security and Climate Change.” World Bank, 17 Oct. 2022, www.worldbank.org/en/news/feature/2022/10/17/what-you-need-to-know-about-food-security-and-climate-change. Accessed 5 Oct. 2025.
Belesova, Kristine, et al. “Climate Change and Non-Communicable Diseases: A Scoping Review.” The Lancet Planetary Health, vol. 6, no. 7, 2022, pp. e568–e579. ScienceDirect, doi:10.1016/S2214-109X(22)00080-8. Accessed 5 Oct. 2025.
“Air Quality.” American Public Health Association (APHA), www.apha.org/topics-and-issues/climate-health-and-equity/air-quality. Accessed 5 Oct. 2025.
Patel, Jai, et al. “Climate Change and Respiratory Health: A Narrative Review.” International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, vol. 19, no. 18, 2022, article 11630. PubMed Central (PMC), pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9487563/. Accessed 5 Oct. 2025.