Climate Change: The Devastating Effects for Public Health

While dramatic existential threats may grab headlines, the threat of climate change is present in almost every aspect of our lives, including one that has come into sharp focus in recent years: public health.

Coming hot on the heels of a global pandemic, there are many organisations out there who are researching the potential effects of climate change on our health as a species, and ways that we might mitigate those changes. According to a 2023 report by the World Health Organisation, “climate change presents a fundamental threat to human health”. Increasing global temperatures are causing shifts within previously stable ecosystems, bringing humans and animals into closer contact with each other and promoting the spread of zoonotic diseases like Covid.

But pandemics are not the only concern. According to that same WHO report, “between 2030 and 2050, climate change is expected to cause approximately 250,000 additional deaths per year” due to insect-borne illnesses, malnutrition and heat stress alone, not to mention the devastation caused by the increase in natural disasters. As with so many global issues, it is those who are living in the world’s most disadvantaged communities who will suffer the most.

With humans living together in larger numbers and greater densities than ever before, there’s never been a more perfect storm of conditions for diseases to spread through wide swathes of the population. We’ve all seen in recent years just how easily healthcare systems can be overwhelmed by large-scale public health crises, so now is the time for healthcare-related businesses and services to put plans in place for mitigating the possible effects of climate change on the population.

We’ve already worked with a number of clients to help build awareness around the impact of climate change on health, and we’d love to work more in this area that we’re so passionate about. If you have a brief related to this, please do get in touch as we’d be thrilled to work together with you to make a positive impact for the planet.

How about you? What steps are you taking as a business to combat climate change? Is the effect of climate change on public health something you worry about as a healthcare professional, or are you already noticing the effects of it in certain areas of your practice?