• UGI USER
  • Nov 23, 2023
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CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACT ON HEALTH

Relevance:

  • GS 3: Climate Change – Conservation, Environmental Pollution and Degradation, Environmental Impact Assessment.
  • GS 2: Issues Relating to Development and Management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources.
Source: CDC

Climate change

  • Climate change refers to long-term shifts in the patterns of average weather conditions that have come to define Earth’s local, regional, and global climates.
  • According to UNFCCC , Climate change” means a change of climate which is attributed directly or indirectly to human activity that alters the composition of the global atmosphere and which is in addition to natural climate variability observed over comparable time periods.

Climate Change Impact on Health

  • Vulnerability of Inadequate Health Systems:

India’s health systems, characterized by inadequacies, expose the population to heightened vulnerability against climate change impacts on health.

  • Direct Health Consequences: Climate change directly leads to increased sickness and mortality, posing a significant threat to public health.
  • Indirect Effects on Health: Beyond direct consequences, climate change indirectly affects nutrition, work hours, and amplifies stress levels, contributing to health challenges.

 Escalating Climate Risks and Global Failures

  • Unrelenting Precipitating Factors: The unyielding nature of climate change intensifies risks, with projections indicating that a 2°C global temperature rise could render parts of India uninhabitable.
  • Failure in Global Commitments: Despite global agreements during the Paris Agreement to limit temperature rise to 1.5°C, the year 2023 witnessed record-breaking temperatures, highlighting a collective failure.
  • Emission Trends: The report unveils that emissions in 2022 rose by 1.2% from 2021, nearing pre-pandemic levels. Despite a temporary 4.7% drop during the pandemic, projections for 2023 indicate a return to previous emission patterns.
  • Impact on Temperature: Alarming statistics show 86 days in 2023 with temperatures surpassing 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. September recorded the highest global average temperatures at 1.8°C above pre-industrial levels.
  • Increasing Climate Emergencies: Anticipated climate emergencies, including extreme heat, cyclones, and floods, are expected to become more frequent, posing threats to food security, livelihoods, and exacerbating health challenges.

Impact on Morbidity and Disease Dynamics

  • Double Burden of Morbidity: India’s existing burden of communicable and non-communicable diseases is compounded by climate change, fostering the growth of disease vectors and altering infection seasonality.
  • Vector Proliferation and Disease Spread: Climate change facilitates the growth of disease vectors like mosquitoes, sandflies, and ticks, potentially introducing vectors and pathogens into new areas.
  • Altered Pathogen Virulence: Heat-induced alterations in pathogen virulence, coupled with reduced food and water availability, elevate vulnerability to diseases.

Overlooked Non-Communicable Diseases and Mental Health

  • Impact on Non-Communicable Diseases: Climate change’s impact on non-communicable diseases and mental health is often overlooked in India, despite the evident risks.
  • Health Challenges for Labourers: Constant exposure to heat, physical exertion, and dehydration increases the risk of kidney injuries, accentuated by the rise in uncontrolled diabetes.
  • Exacerbation of Pulmonary Diseases: Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Diseases worsen due to prolonged air pollution episodes, and the risk of pulmonary diseases increases during heatwaves.

Urbanization Challenges and Urban Heat Island Effect

  • Unplanned Urbanization and Health Effects: Rapid and unplanned urbanization, lacking green spaces, contributes to the urban heat island effect, intensifying the adverse health impacts of climate change in urban areas.
  • Pressure on Urban Health Systems: Climate change compounds existing challenges in urban health systems, including air pollution, lack of physical activity, and work-related stress.

Mitigation Strategies and Comprehensive Approaches

  • Modified Health Information Systems: Current health information systems lack modifications to gather data on climate change’s health impacts, necessitating improvements for better understanding.
  • Socio-Economic Considerations: Acknowledging that socio-economic conditions accentuate health impacts, implementing systems for social support and health services can alleviate the burden.
  • Emphasis on Upstream Interventions: Prioritizing upstream interventions, such as improved urban planning, increased green cover, water conservation, and public health initiatives, yields substantial benefits for various health determinants.

 Call for Action at All Levels

  • Global, Regional, and Local Action: Effective climate change control requires coordinated action at global, regional, and local levels, considering the diverse pathways and impacts.
  • Recognition of Climate Change as a Problem: India needs to acknowledge climate change and its health implications as a pressing issue, urging researchers to propose actionable policy options.
  • Need for Political Decision-Making: Meaningful change necessitates the convergence of problem identification, policy options, and political decisions, prompting a critical examination of whether these conditions are met.
India’s Initiative towards tackling Climate Change

· International Solar Alliance

· National Clean Energy Fund

· National Actional Plan on Climate Change(NAPCC)

· Bharat Stage (BS -VI) Emission Norms.

· India’s Intended Nationally Determined Contribution (INDC)

 

The United Nations report “Broken Record”

The report emphasizes the urgency for global action on climate change, highlighting the inadequacy of progress since the Paris Agreement (PA) in 2015.

Unmet Commitments

· Temperature Targets: The PA aimed to limit temperature rise to 2°C, preferably below 1.5°C. However, the report suggests that current commitments fall short, projecting a potential overshoot of 2.5°C-2.9°C by the century’s end.

· Emission Reduction Targets: Despite promises of “net zero” carbon emissions by many countries, the report questions their credibility. To limit temperature increase to 1.5°C, emissions must be reduced by 42% by 2030, a goal seen as challenging.

Call for Immediate Action

· Reducing Emissions: Urgent actions are needed, with an annual emission reduction of 8.7% until 2030 to stay within the 1.5°C target. The report reiterates the importance of commitment from historically responsible countries to accelerate reductions.

· Global Responsibility: The report emphasizes the responsibility of affluent nations to make significant and rapid reductions in emissions, stressing that time is running out as climate summits grapple with legal complexities.

In preparation for COP28, recognizing the multidimensional challenges posed by climate change on health is imperative, urging comprehensive actions at various levels to ensure a sustainable and healthier future.

Source: https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/recognising-the-impact-of-climate-change-on-health/article67557977.ece/amp/

Mains Practice Question

Discuss the multifaceted impact of climate change on human health in India, emphasizing the direct and indirect consequences on public health systems and disease dynamics. Critically evaluate the adequacy of India’s existing health infrastructure to address these challenges.