Climate change has a major impact on human health through a variety of direct and indirect pathways. The health impacts of climate change can be divided into several main areas:

1. Direct health consequences of extreme weather:

– Heat waves: More frequent and longer periods of extreme temperatures cause heatstroke, sunburn, dehydration, cardiovascular problems and higher mortality, especially in the elderly, young children and chronically ill people.

– Storms, floods and flash floods: They can cause physical injuries, drowning, infectious diseases transmitted through contaminated water or food, and serious psychological trauma.

– Fires and drought: Increased risk of death from fires, respiratory (breathing) problems from inhaling fire fumes, and long-term air contamination with ash and hazardous chemicals.

2. Infectious diseases and the impact of vectors:

– Vector movement and propagation: Higher temperatures allow mosquitoes, ticks and other animal vectors to spread, leading to the spread of diseases such as malaria, dengue fever, tick-borne encephalitis, Lyme disease and Zika virus.

– Water and food-borne infections: Floods and heavy rains can pollute and contaminate drinking water, allowing intestinal infections (e.g. cholera, rotaviruses, E. coli bacteria) to spread.

3. Air quality and respiratory diseases:

– Increased levels of air pollution: Higher temperatures and fires lead to increased concentrations of ground-level ozone, particulate matter and pollutants in the air. This triggers or worsens chronic lung diseases (asthma, chronic bronchitis) as well as cardiovascular diseases.

4. Food security and nutrition:

– Reduced harvests and food insecurity: Prolonged drought, increased extreme weather events and ecological imbalances are disrupting food supplies. Insufficient access to quality food causes malnutrition, chronic health consequences for children and weakened immunity.

5. Mental health and well-being:

– Stress and anxiety from climate events: Loss of home, property, and safety caused by catastrophic weather events leads to higher incidences of stress, depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

– Climate anxiety (“eco-anxiety”): Concerns and uncertainty about the future due to the climate crisis are increasing the psychological burden on individuals, especially young people.

6. Vulnerability of specific populations:

– Vulnerable groups: Climate change has a significantly greater health impact on children, older people, pregnant women, the chronically ill, and socio-economically vulnerable groups with limited access to healthcare.

How to prepare for the issue and reduce its impacts?

With the help of so-called adaptation measures, we can minimize the negative impacts of climate change on the health of the population:

– improve the level of healthcare and strengthen its capacities to cope with extreme situations,

– educating the population about health risks associated with climate change,

– supporting research, monitoring and early warning of extreme climate events,

– planning the construction of urban areas adapted to extreme weather conditions,

– reducing emissions and transitioning to environmentally sustainable methods of management and living, i.e. mitigation (preventing further deterioration of the climate situation).

In summary, it is clear that climate change poses serious health risks to people around the world. Its impacts are already being felt, with the most vulnerable being parts of the population in the global south or poorer groups in urban areas. It is therefore essential to implement preventive measures, adaptation strategies, and at the same time limit further warming of the planet itself. Spring