strategy

Adapting health needs to climate change

Description:
The prevalence of particular diseases and other threats to human health depend largely on local climate. As several of the serious diseases only appear in warm areas, any significant climate change will increase their prevelance. Warm temperatures also increase air and water pollution, which in turn harm human health. As the climate changes human health needs will change.
Context:
Human-induced changes in the global climate system and in stratospheric ozone pose a range of health risks. Irrespective of actions that might soon be taken to reduce or halt these environmental changes, human populations will be exposed to some degree of climate change and increased ultraviolet irradiation over the coming decades.

Diseases that are spread by mosquitoes and other insects could become more prevalent if warmer temperatures enabled those insects to become established farther north. Such "vector-borne" diseases include malaria, dengue fever, yellow fever, and encephalitis.

Broader:
Adapting to climate change
Narrower:
Developing health policy for climate change
Informing about health effects of climate change
Developing regional health policy for climate change
Promoting intersectoral research cooperation on climate change
Establishing environmental health indicators for climate change
Establishing regional centres for health action on climate change
Identifying vulnerable groups for health effects of climate change
Evaluating monitoring systems for health effects of climate change
Developing preventive policies for health impacts of climate change
Undertaking interdisciplinary research on health effects of climate change
Preparing contingency plans to mitigate the health effects of climate change
Developing early warning public health information systems for climate change
Facilitated by:
Promoting public education on health effects of climate change
Problems:
Health risks of atmospheric destruction
Values:
Health
Change
Changeableness
Subjects:
Climatology → Climatology
Amenities → Living conditions
Health Care → Health
Type Classification:
E: Emanations of other strategies
Related UN Sustainable Development Goals:
GOAL 3: Good Health and Well-beingGOAL 11: Sustainable Cities and CommunitiesGOAL 13: Climate Action