Context:

• This article is based on an Editorial “Recognising the impact of climate change on health” which was published in The Hindu. As India prepares for the 28th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP28) global conference on climate change, (which will be held at the Expo City, Dubai), it’s crucial to understand how climate change affects people’s health in the country. 
• India’s healthcare systems are not strong, making its population vulnerable to climate-related health risks and negative impact of climate change on health can be seen in near future. 

Impact of Climate Change on Health: Heatwaves, Cyclones, and Rising Temperatures

• Health Impacts: Climate change directly causes more sickness and death.
  • It also indirectly affects nutrition, reduces working hours, and increases stress.
• Rising Temperatures: The global agreement aimed to limit the rise in temperature to 1.5°C, but in 2023, the world experienced the highest temperatures ever recorded.
• Climate Induced-Stress: More extreme climate events like heat waves, cyclones, and floods are expected, affecting food security, livelihoods, and health.

India’s Double Health Burden: Climate Change, Urbanization, and Emerging Health Challenges

• Impact of Climate Change on Health: India already faces health challenges from both communicable and non-communicable diseases. Climate change could worsen this by influencing the growth of disease-carrying vectors (like mosquitoes) and changing infection patterns.
• Non-Communicable Diseases: Climate change can impact non-communicable diseases (like kidney injuries and pulmonary diseases).
• Mental Health: Climate change can impact mental health (like depression, aggravated by stress generated by the change in weather conditions, and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder invariably accompany a climate emergency).
  • These are rarely recognised in India, much less addressed.
• Urbanization Challenges: India’s rapid, unplanned urbanization contributes to health challenges.
  • Urban areas, with their lack of green spaces and heat-retaining structures, face the worst effects.
  • Urban areas suffer from the “urban heat island effect,” making them warmer, especially at night.
  • Epidemics commonly occur after floods, but extended warm periods also promote the proliferation of water and food-borne pathogens and diseases.

Way Forward: Understanding to Action in Mitigating Climate Change’s Impact on Health

• Better Understanding: Understanding of climate change impacts is crucial for taking action.
• Better Planning: Social support, improved health services, and upstream interventions like better urban planning are necessary to reduce the impact.
• Action at all Levels: Addressing climate change’s impact on health requires action at global, regional, and local levels. 
  • Researchers must provide policy options, and governments need to decide and act on these options.
  • National, State, and local governments have to decide to act on the policy options that have been generated by research. 

Conclusion:

India has to recognise climate change and its impact on health as a problem that can be and needs to be addressed. Meaningful change in dealing with climate change and its impact on health will happen when there is a collective effort involving problem understanding, policy options, and political decision- making. 

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